The impact of seropositivity on the effectiveness of biologic anti-rheumatic agents: results from a collaboration of 16 registries

Delphine S Courvoisier, Katarina Chatzidionysiou, Denis Mongin, Kim Lauper, Xavier Mariette, Jacques Morel, Jacques-Eric Gottenberg, Sytske Anne Bergstra, Manuel Pombo Suarez, Catalin Codreanu, Tore K Kvien, Maria Jose Santos, Karel Pavelka, Merete L Hetland, Johan Askling, Carl Turesson, Satoshi Kubo, Yoshiya Tanaka, Florenzo Iannone, Denis ChoquetteDan C Nordström, Ziga Rotar, Galina Lukina, Cem Gabay, Ronald Van Vollenhoven, Axel Finckh

57 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: RF and ACPA are used as diagnostic tools and their presence has been associated with clinical response to some biologic DMARDs (bDMARDs) in RA. This study compared the impact of seropositivity on drug discontinuation and effectiveness of bDMARDs in patients with RA, using head-to-head comparisons in a real-world setting.

METHODS: We conducted a pooled analysis of 16 observational RA registries. Inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of RA, initiation of treatment with rituximab (RTX), abatacept (ABA), tocilizumab (TCZ) or TNF inhibitors (TNFis) and available information on RF and/or ACPA status. Drug discontinuation was analysed using Cox regression, including drug, seropositivity, their interaction, adjusting for concomitant and past treatments and patient and disease characteristics and accounting for country and calendar year of bDMARD initiation. Effectiveness was analysed using the Clinical Disease Activity Index evolution over time.

RESULTS: Among the 27 583 eligible patients, the association of seropositivity with drug discontinuation differed across bDMARDs (P for interaction <0.001). The adjusted hazard ratios for seropositive compared with seronegative patients were 1.01 (95% CI 0.95, 1.07) for TNFis, 0.89 (0.78, 1.02)] for TCZ, 0.80 (0.72, 0.88) for ABA and 0.70 (0.59, 0.84) for RTX. Adjusted differences in remission and low disease activity rates between seropositive and seronegative patients followed the same pattern, with no difference in TNFis, a small difference in TCZ, a larger difference in ABA and the largest difference in RTX (Lundex remission difference +5.9%, low disease activity difference +11.6%).

CONCLUSION: Seropositivity was associated with increased effectiveness of non-TNFi bDMARDs, especially RTX and ABA, but not TNFis.

Original languageEnglish
JournalRheumatology (Oxford, England)
Volume60
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)820-828
Number of pages9
ISSN1462-0324
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Feb 2021

Keywords

  • ACPA
  • anti-citrullinated protein antibodies
  • drug retention
  • PANABA
  • rheumatoid arthritis
  • rheumatoid factor
  • seropositivity
  • TOCERRA

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