ArticleZeitschrift fur Rheumatologie2023
[PHARAO study: drug treatment of inflammatory rheumatic diseases : Guideline-conform treatment with biologics follows availability of biosimilars].
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 2 papers.
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.
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
2 citing papers in PubMed, 3 citations in OpenAlex.
- Beyond Cost: Observations on Clinical and Patient Benefits of Biosimilars in Real-World Settings.BioDrugs : clinical immunotherapeutics, biopharmaceuticals and gene therapy · 2025Review
- A population-based analysis of immunosuppression therapy after organ transplantation.BMC health services research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWith the introduction of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha inhibitors, the treatment of inflammatory rheumatic diseases (IRD) has undergone a fundamental change. Several of the originally high-priced biologics are now accessible as lower cost biosimilars, removing a significant impediment to prescription.
objectiveThe present study investigated whether the availability of biosimilars is associated with an improvement in the care of IRD. Moreover, the subjective acceptance of biosimilars by physicians and patients was investigated and compared with objectifiable parameters. MATERIAL AND
methodsPseudonymized claims data of the Bavarian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians from 2014 to 2019 as well as a paper and pencil survey of patients and rheumatologists formed the data basis of the study.
resultsDuring the observation period, the proportion of diagnosed patients receiving drug therapy increased from 38.5% to 43.2%. Also, the care changed in terms of the prescribed agents. Conventional drug therapy declined overall and, in particular, glucocorticoid prescriptions decreased from 39.3% in 2014 to 34.3% in 2019. At the same time, the proportion of targeted treatments increased from 12.3% to 20.4%. The median duration of basic treatment before first-time bDMARD use dropped from 3.15 years in 2014 to 2.17 years in 2019.
conclusionOver the observation period, in which three biosimilars entered the market, the care of patients with IRD improved both quantitatively and qualitatively. The market share of biosimilars increased in parallel with this development. With an overall high acceptance of biosimilars, the assessment of the disease course by physicians and patients indicates a slight subjectively perceived advantage of therapy with originals compared to biosimilars, which, however, is not confirmed when standardized scores are applied. A possible explanation for this might be a nocebo effect, which could be minimized by suitable communication strategies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.