OBJECTIVES: The prognosis for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has improved significantly over the last decade, partly due to advances in treatment. Patients suffering from SLE are typically treated with corticosteroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs), immunosuppressive agents and biologics. Difference in treatment patterns and time to therapy initiation by race/ethnicity have not been previously examined

METHODS: Patients diagnosed with SLE from 01/01/2014 - 05/30/2021, ≥18 years of age, and race reported were identified from Eversana’s Electronic Health Record database. To confirm SLE diagnosis, patients were required to have a second SLE claim ≥30 days and ≤6 months from date of index SLE claim and have at least 6 months post-index continuous capture. Patients first treatment and mean time to first treatment overall and by race were described and compared. using the one-way ANOVA and Chi-square test.

RESULTS: 3,746 patients were identified meeting study criteria. Overall, mean (SD) age was 49.8 (14.5) years and . Overall, initial treatment rates were: 32.4% immunosuppressants, 21.1% NSAIDS, 29.2% corticosteroids, 1.9% biologics, and 15.5% combination . No significant differences in the mean (SD) time to treatment initiation were observed: 69.2 (93.4) for white, 68.3 (93.0) African American, and 72.0 (92.8) for other (p-value: 0.91). While there were slight differences between racial groups with regard to distribution of first drug use, there was no statistically difference observed (p-value: 0.229). For example, immunosuppressants were initial therapy for 32.7% of white, 30.9% of African American, 37.7% of other.

CONCLUSIONS: There was no meaningful difference in the types of first-line treatment regimens or the time to initiation of therapy by race for SLE patients during the last 8 years. Further research will evaluate the control of disease manifestations, including the flare rate, during initial therapy.