Discontinuations, person-years and incidence rates over up to 5 years of follow-up in Swedish patients with rheumatoid arthritis starting their first TNFi between 2003 and 2011
| Etanercept (n=3892) | Adalimumab (n=2349) | Infliximab (n=2898) | Total (n=9139) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Observation years | 9259 | 5131 | 5808 | 20 198 |
| Discontinuations, n (%) | 1391 (100%) | 963 (100%) | 1470 (100%) | 3782 (100%) |
| Lack/loss of efficacy* | 710 (51%) | 476 (49%) | 738 (52%) | 1924 (51%) |
| Adverse event | 474 (34%) | 349 (36%) | 525 (37%) | 1348 (36%) |
| Other | 207 (15%) | 138 (14%) | 165 (12%) | 510 (13%) |
| Discontinuation causes not counted as events, n (%) | ||||
| Pregnancy | 59 (1.5%) | 15 (0.6%) | 12 (0.4%) | 86 (0.9%) |
| Remission† | 44 (1.1%) | 53 (2.3%) | 50 (1.7%) | 147 (1.6%) |
| Death | 31 (0.8%) | 30 (1.3%) | 35 (1.2%) | 96 (1.1%) |
| Incidence per 100 person-years | 15 | 19 | 25 | 19 |
| 1 year drug survival | ||||
| Observation years, sum | 2355 | 1349 | 1667 | 5371 |
| Discontinuations, n | 671 | 517 | 668 | 1856 |
| % | 26% | 34% | 36% | 31% |
*As decided by treating physician or patient (standardised failure definition NOT used).
†Note: These numbers represent patients who have discontinued TNFi therapy due to remission. Patients in remission continuing therapy do not contribute to these numbers.
TNF, tumour necrosis factor; TNFi, TNF inhibitor.