Footnotes

• MS, CC, EL and CR contributed equally.

• Handling editor Josef S Smolen

• Contributors MS, CC and M-ET did the figures. MS, EL and CR wrote the manuscript. MS and TB conducted the data analysis (statistics). PD, LC, JS, PB, EL and CR took part in the design of the study and of the reanalysis. All authors approved the last version of the manuscript.

• Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

• Competing interests MS, TB, PD, LC, JS, PB and CC declare no conflict of interest. CR has received consultancy and speaking fees from AstraZeneca, Roche, Glenmark, BMS, Lilly, UCB and Janssen. EL has received consultancy and speaking fees from GSK and UCB. M-ET has received consultancy fees and/or research funding from BMS, Roche, Lilly and UCB. Roche Pharmaceuticals provided freely EXPLORER raw data but did not take part in neither the analysis nor the writing of the manuscript.

• Patient consent for publication Not required.

• Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.