Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31067271›Full record

ArticlePloS one2019

Drug tolerability and reasons for discontinuation of seven biologics in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis -The ANSWER cohort study.

Kosuke Ebina, Motomu Hashimoto, Wataru Yamamoto, Toru Hirano, Ryota Hara, Masaki Katayama, Akira Onishi, Koji Nagai, Yonsu Son, Hideki Amuro and 8 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
35citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

35 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Predicting abatacept retention using machine learning.Arthritis research & therapy · 2025
    Observational
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  12. Observational
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  19. Antirheumatic drugs in older adults and polypharmacy issues.Zeitschrift fur Gerontologie und Geriatrie · 2022
    Review
  20. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors.

Kosuke EbinaDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.ORCID 0000-0002-2426-1024
Motomu HashimotoDepartment of Advanced Medicine for Rheumatic Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Wataru YamamotoDepartment of Advanced Medicine for Rheumatic Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Toru HiranoDepartment of Respiratory Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Ryota HaraThe Center for Rheumatic Diseases, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Nara Medical University, Nara, Japan.
Masaki KatayamaDepartment of Rheumatology, Osaka Red Cross Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
Akira OnishiDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
Koji NagaiDepartment of Internal Medicine (IV), Osaka Medical College, Osaka, Japan.
Yonsu SonFirst Department of Internal Medicine, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
Hideki AmuroFirst Department of Internal Medicine, Kansai Medical University, Osaka, Japan.
Keiichi YamamotoDepartment of Medical Informatics, Wakayama Medical University Hospital, Wakayama, Japan.
Yuichi MaedaDepartment of Respiratory Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Koichi MurataDepartment of Advanced Medicine for Rheumatic Diseases, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Sadao JinnoDepartment of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
Tohru TakeuchiDepartment of Internal Medicine (IV), Osaka Medical College, Osaka, Japan.
Makoto HiraoDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Atsushi KumanogohDepartment of Respiratory Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
Hideki YoshikawaDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, Osaka University, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe aim of this study is to evaluate the retention rates and reasons for discontinuation for seven biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) in a real-world setting of elderly patients (65 years of age or older) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

methodsThis multi-center, retrospective study assessed 1,098 treatment courses of 661 patients with bDMARDs from 2009 to 2018 (females, 80.7%; baseline age, 71.7 years; disease duration 10.5 years; rheumatoid factor positivity 81.3%; Disease Activity Score in 28 joints using erythrocyte sedimentation rate, 4.6; concomitant prednisolone dose 2.8 mg/day (45.6%) and methotrexate dose 4.4 mg/week (56.4%); and 60.2% patients were bio-naïve). Treatment courses included abatacept (ABT; n = 272), tocilizumab (TCZ; n = 234), etanercept (ETN; n = 184), golimumab (GLM; n = 159), infliximab (IFX; n = 101), adalimumab (ADA; n = 97), and certolizumab pegol (CZP; n = 51). Drug retention rates and discontinuation reasons were estimated at 36 months using the Kaplan-Meier method and adjusted for potential clinical confounders (age, sex, disease duration, concomitant PSL and MTX, starting date and switched number of bDMARDs) by Cox proportional hazards modeling.

resultsA total of 51.2% of treatment courses were stopped, with 25.1% stopping due to lack of effectiveness, 11.8% due to toxic adverse events, 9.7% due to non-toxic reasons, and 4.6% due to remission. Drug retention rates for each discontinuation reason were as follows; lack of effectiveness [from 55.4% (ETN) to 81.6% (ABT); with significant differences between groups (Cox P<0.001)], toxic adverse events [from 79.3% (IFX) to 95.4% (ABT), Cox P = 0.043], and remission [from 94.2% (TCZ) to 100.0% (CZP), Cox P = 0.58]. Finally, overall retention rates excluding non-toxic reasons and remission for discontinuation ranged from 50.0% (ETN) to 78.1% (ABT) (Cox P<0.001).

conclusionsABT showed lowest discontinuation rate by lack of effectiveness and by toxic adverse events, which lead to highest overall retention rates (excluding non-toxic reasons and remission) among seven bDMARDs in adjusted model of elderly RA patients.

Indexed as

Drug MonitoringDrug ToleranceAgedAntirheumatic AgentsArthritis, RheumatoidBiological ProductsDrug-Related Side Effects and Adverse ReactionsFemaleHumansIncidenceJapanMaleRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeAntirheumatic AgentsBiological Products

Identifiers

PMID31067271
PMCPMC6505948

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.