Skin Cancer and Hydrochlorothiazide: Novel Population-Based Analyses Considering Personal Risk Factors Including Race/Ethnicity.

BACKGROUND: Hydrochlorothiazide, a common antihypertensive, has photosensitive properties, potentially increasing skin cancer risk. We evaluated melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer among hydrochlorothiazide users with 3 different cohorts as each allows assessment of different potential cofounders/effect modifiers, including race/ethnicity. METHODS: We built 3 cohorts using IBM MarketScan Research Databases: Commercial and Encounters (>3.5 million individuals, 2010-2018), a subcohort with health risk assessment respondents (415, 330), and Medicaid (509, 767, 2011-2017). Adults (aged 18+ years) entered the respective cohort with a first-filled prescription (cohort entry) for hydrochlorothiazide (the exposure of interest) or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors (the active comparator), with ≥12 months of continuous enrollment with medical/pharmacy coverage at baseline. We excluded those who used hydrochlorothiazide/ACE inhibitor (including fixed-dose combination products) 12 months before cohort entry and those with prior skin cancer, HIV, or organ transplant. We compared the risk for hydrochlorothiazide versus ACE inhibitor using multivariate proportional hazards regression. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar, aside from more Black individuals among hydrochlorothiazide users (43.3% [95% CI, 43.0%-43.6%]) than ACE inhibitor users (28.1% [95% CI, 27.9%-28.3%]). The hazard ratio (95% CI) for nonmelanoma skin cancer related to hydrochlorothiazide (versus ACE inhibitor) was 0.96 (0.91-1.00) in the Commercial cohort, 1.01 (0.77-1.32) for the health risk assessment subcohort, and 1.33 (0.77-2.29) for Medicaid. For melanoma, the respective hazard ratios were 1.07 (0.95-1.20), 0.85 (0.43-1.67), and 0.93 (0.51-1.67), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our evaluation using 3 different approaches, including adjustment for race/ethnicity, did not establish a clear difference between hydrochlorothiazide and ACE inhibitor in terms of skin cancer risk.

Medication Persistence of Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs and Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Agents in a Cohort of Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the use and persistence of anti-tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) versus disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) therapies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Brazil. METHODS: This was a new-user cohort study of RA patients from 2003 to 2010, using administrative data. Individuals were classified as being persistent using a drug at the first year and the first 2 years after cohort entry, if they did not discontinue that drug during that period. Cox regression was used to identify potential determinants of discontinuation of therapy in each medication group. RESULTS: Among 76,351 patients, 14,313 were using anti-TNF (+/- DMARD) therapy. At the end of the first year of followup, 48.2% continued using anti-TNF (+/- DMARD) therapy compared to 42.6% who persisted with DMARDs only. At the end of the second year, 23.1% of anti-TNF (+/- DMARD) users and 19.3% of DMARD-only users continued with therapy. Infliximab users had the lowest persistence rates. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that among anti-TNF (+/- DMARD) users, higher discontinuation rates were observed in female patients, in patients with lower income (only at the first 2 years of followup), in nonresidents of the region with the highest Human Development Index (HDI) rates, in those with a higher comorbidity score, and in those enrolled in the 2003-2006 period. Among DMARD-only users, younger patients, patients with lower income, nonresidents in regions with high HDI, those with a higher comorbidity score, and those enrolled in the 2003-2006 period were also more likely to discontinue therapy. CONCLUSION: Brazilian patients with RA showed low rates of medication persistence for DMARDs and anti-TNF agents, particularly at the first 2 years of followup. Future work could determine what other factors might contribute to drug persistence in RA.