Impact of disease activity outcome measures reporting in the medical records of patients with axial spondyloarthritis on the retention rates of biological treatment: the example of secukinumab use in daily practice in France

Objectives To estimate the frequency of reporting composite indices evaluating axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) disease activity in daily practice and to assess its impact on the secukinumab (SEC) retention rate. Methods Study design: Retrospective, multicentre. Data collected: (1) Recommended composite indices: Bath Ankylosing Spondyltitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) +C reactive protein or Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS) at the time of initiation of SEC and at least once during the first year of follow-up; (2) Drug retention rate: percentage of patients still on SEC over time according to whether at least one recommended composite index had been optimally reported. Results A recommended composite index has been collected in 22% of the 906 enrolled axSpA patients. The percentage of patients still on treatment after 1, 2 and 3 years of follow-up was greater in those for whom at least one composite index had been optimally reported (respectively, 64% (57-71) vs 57% (54-61), 55% (48-62) vs 41% (38-45) and 52% (44-59) vs 38% (34-42), log rank test, p=0.016) with a lower risk of SEC discontinuation for these patients (HR: 0.70 (95% CI 0.5 to 0.88), Cox model, p=0.003). Conclusion This study suggests that reporting of recommended composites indices for monitoring axSpA might be associated with higher retention rates of biological therapies.

Automated summary

This study aimed to estimate the frequency of reporting composite indices evaluating axSpA disease activity in daily practice and its impact on SEC retention rate. The results suggest that reporting recommended composite indices might be associated with higher retention rates of biological therapies.