Characteristics of patients treated with abatacept, rituximab, anti-TNF, tocilizumab and tofacitinib
| Abatacept (N=12 305) | Rituximab (N=5078) | TNF (N=42 850) | Tocilizumab (N=6967) | Tofacitinib (N=2526) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Person-years of exposure | 8960 | 4115 | 27122 | 4632 | 982 |
| Age in Years, Mean (SD) | 61.2 (13.4) | 61.2 (13.0) | 57.7 (13.5)* | 60.1 (13.5) | 55.4 (11.8)* |
| Women | 83.2 | 80.8 | 79.6 | 82.2 | 83.2 |
| Comorbidities | |||||
| Diabetes mellitus | 21.0 | 21.5 | 19.6 | 21.0 | 16.7* |
| Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease | 23.0 | 26.2 | 20.9 | 22.9 | 20.8 |
| Heart failure | 6.9 | 7.5 | 4.2* | 5.8 | 4.2* |
| Renal disease | 6.8 | 8.1 | 5.0 | 5.9 | 3.9 |
| Any fracture | 6.9 | 7.6 | 5.7 | 6.8 | 5.9 |
| Hospitalized infections during baseline | |||||
| 0 | 91.2 | 88.3 | 93.5 | 92.0 | 94.0* |
| 1–2 | 8.3 | 10.5 | 6.0 | 7.4 | 5.4* |
| ≥3 | 8.1 | 10.5 | 6.0 | 7.4 | 5.4 |
| Outpatient infection | 50.1 | 51.7 | 44.9 | 49.9 | 45.4 |
| Medications | |||||
| Methotrexate† | 46.7 | 44.1 | 55.5* | 43.3 | 39.4* |
| Number of biologic agents previously used‡ | |||||
| 0 | 26.5 | 24.6 | 54.5* | 8.9* | 15.0* |
| 1 | 46.3 | 36.4 | 32.1* | 38.7* | 29.5* |
| 2 | 46.0 | 36.3 | 32.1* | 38.6* | 29.3* |
| 3 or more | 21.3 | 25.3 | 9.5 | 33.2 | 27.7 |
| Prednisone, mean mg/day§ | |||||
| None | 36.1 | 30.5* | 38.4 | 33.8 | 34.8 |
| ≤7.5 | 44.4 | 41.6 | 44.2 | 43.8 | 45.5 |
| >7.5 | 44.5 | 41.6* | 44.2 | 43.8 | 45.5 |
| Health behaviors and health services utilization | |||||
| Lookback period in Days, median (IQR) | 1149 (692, 1738) | 1221 (699, 1788) | 981* (605, 1576) | 1217 (686, 1831) | 1316* (911, 1709) |
| Zoster vaccine‡ | 5.0 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 3.8 | 4.9 |
| PSA screening test (men only) | 41.4 | 39.6 | 37.4 | 41.2 | 32.2 |
| Mammography (women only) | 39.7 | 38.6 | 37.6 | 38.3 | 37.2 |
| All-cause hospitalizations during baseline | |||||
| 0–1 | 93.7 | 90.6* | 95.1 | 94.1 | 95.6 |
| 2 | 4.4 | 5.4 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 2.8 |
| ≥3 | 4.2 | 5.4* | 3.2 | 4.0 | 2.8 |
Note: all covariates assessed in baseline 12 months prior to the start of follow-up, unless otherwise noted.
Data are shown as % unless otherwise specified.
*Standardised mean difference >0.10 compared with abatacept.
†Assessed using 4-month baseline data.
‡Assessed using all available data prior to index date.
§Assessed using 6-month average daily dose.
PSA, prostate specific antigen; TNF, tumour necrosis factor.