Meaningful Improvement and Worsening in Patients Who Do Not Achieve Low Disease Activity and Switch Therapy to a New Biologic or Targeted Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug: Results From the CorEvitas RA Registry.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the change in disease activity associated with switching from 1 biologic/targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (b/tsDMARD) to another in patients with rheumatoid arthritis who did not achieve low disease activity (LDA) after 6 to 12 months of their initial treatment. METHODS: This observational study included patients from the CorEvitas Rheumatoid Arthritis Registry, who initiated a b/tsDMARD at the index visit (prebaseline), had any clinical disease activity index (CDAI) improvement but did not achieve LDA/remission at the subsequent visit (baseline), and switched therapy at baseline or between baseline and follow-up visits. Regardless of the preswitch CDAI value, 2 thresholds of CDAI change were used to define meaningful improvement and worsening for all patients: ≥6 units and ≥12 units; no meaningful change was defined as any change between -6 to +6 units and -12 to +12 units, based on respective thresholds. RESULTS: Of 1226 patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria, 93 (7.6%) switched therapy at baseline or between baseline and follow-up, after an inadequate response at the baseline visit. At follow-up, meaningful worsening occurred in 30.1% and 12.9% of switchers, whereas the remaining switchers achieved meaningful improvement (34.4% and 20.4%) or had no meaningful change (35.5% and 66.7%), based on the thresholds of ≥6 and ≥12 units, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Rheumatoid arthritis patients, who had not achieved LDA and switched b/tsDMARD, were more likely to have meaningful improvement or no change, rather than meaningful worsening. These data may help some patients overcome their hesitancy to switch therapy, potentially improving clinical outcomes.