ArticleZeitschrift fur Rheumatologie2023
Comparative efficacy and safety of tumor necrosis factor inhibitors and their biosimilars in patients with rheumatoid arthritis having an insufficient response to methotrexate : A network meta-analysis.
Article in Zeitschrift fur Rheumatologie, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 7 citations in OpenAlex.
- Therapeutic Equivalence of Biosimilar and Reference Biologic Drugs in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JAMA network open · 2023Pooled it
- Efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of etanercept biosimilarsFrontiers in pharmacology · 2023Pooled it
- Assessing Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Biosimilars: Results from a National Survey.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Safety of TNF-α inhibitors therapy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: an umbrella review.EClinicalMedicine · 2025Article
- Comparative Safety Profiles of Biosimilars vs. Originators Used in Rheumatology: A Pharmacovigilance Analysis of the EudraVigilance Database.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
- What have we learnt from the inhibition of IL-6 in RA and what are the clinical opportunities for patient outcomes?Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveThis study aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFI) biosimilars to TNFI originators in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who responded inadequately to methotrexate (MTX).
methodsWe conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to compare the effectiveness and safety of TNFI biosimilars to TNFIs in patients with RA who had not responded adequately to MTX.
resultsA total of 18 RCTs (8 adalimumab, 7 infliximab, and 3 etanercept) comprising 4039 patients randomized to TNFI biosimilars and 3905 to TNFI treatment were included. The American College of Rheumatology 20% improvement (ACR20) response rate was significantly higher for TNFI biosimilar-treated patients than for TNFI-treated patients (odds ratio, OR 1.140, 95% confidence interval, CI 1.031-1.261, P = 0.011); however, subgroup analysis by the TNFI type showed that the ACR20 response rates were not different among the biosimilars of adalimumab, infliximab, and etanercept compared with the originators. The ACR50 response rate was significantly higher for TNFI biosimilar-treated patients than for TNFI treated patients (OR 1.096, 95% CI 1.001-1.200, P = 0.047). Subgroup analysis by the TNFI type showed that the ACR50 response rates did not differ among the biosimilars of adalimumab and infliximab compared with the originators; however, the ACR50 response rate was significantly higher in etanercept biosimilar-treated patients than in etanercept-treated patients (OR 1.406, 95% CI 1.111-1.780, P = 0.005). No significant difference was observed between the TNFI biosimilars and TNFIs as per ACR70. There was no significant difference in the number of patients who experienced adverse events (AEs) between TNFI biosimilars and TNFIs (OR 0.961, 95% CI 0.876-1.055, P = 0.402); however, subgroup analysis by the TNFI type showed that the adalimumab biosimilar caused fewer AEs than adalimumab (OR 0.865, 95% CI 0.756-0.989, P = 0.034). Serious AEs and withdrawals due to AEs did not differ between TNFI biosimilars and TNFIs.
conclusionThis meta-analysis showed that TNFI biosimilars had an overall comparable efficacy and safety profile compared with their originators in RA patients.
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Registered trials
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.