The pattern of anti-IL-6 versus non-anti-IL-6 biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Wales, UK: a real-world study using electronic health records

Cooksey, Roxanne, Kennedy, Jonathan, Rahman, Muhammad, Brophy, Sinead and Choy, Ernest ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4459-8609 2024. The pattern of anti-IL-6 versus non-anti-IL-6 biologic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs use in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Wales, UK: a real-world study using electronic health records. Rheumatology Advances in Practice 9 (1) , rkae140. 10.1093/rap/rkae140

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Abstract

Lay Summary: What does this mean for patients? Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) can be treated by drugs called biologics. There are many biologics available that a rheumatologist can choose from based on the individual, e.g. etanercept is useful for those with a history of infections, and adalimumab in cases when uveitis, a condition causing inflammation of the eye, is experienced. These drugs act on tumour necrosis factor (TNF) inflammatory proteins in the body. Other biologics, including sarilumab and tocilizumab, are now available that act on other inflammatory proteins, anti-interleukin-6 (IL-6). With the use of databanks that hold anonymised, routinely collected data on individuals, studies can explore the use of these medications in the real-world setting. We linked primary and secondary care to rheumatology clinic data collected in Wales, UK, to compare the biologics that act on TNF and IL-6. We found that those with a history of infection and kidney disease tended to be prescribed the IL-6- rather than TNF-acting biologics. Individuals who had orthopaedic surgery and increased steroid use were more likely to have to stop and switch treatments. This knowledge is useful for people with RA, as it supports rheumatologists in choosing which medications to use, helping to improve treatment options.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Medicine
Additional Information:	License information from Publisher: LICENSE 1: URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/, Type: cc-by
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	18 December 2024
Date of Acceptance:	16 October 2024
Last Modified:	18 Dec 2024 09:45
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/174793

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