Efficacy and Safety of Etanercept Biosimilars Compared With the Originator for Treatment of Juvenile Arthritis: A Prospective Observational Study

Objective Analysis of etanercept biosimilars in pediatric patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in comparison with the etanercept originator in terms of efficacy and safety. Methods Patients diagnosed with JIA who started treatment with either the etanercept originator or a biosimilar after January 1, 2017, were selected from the German BIKER registry (Biologics in Paediatric Rheumatology Registry). Furthermore, patients who started therapy with the originator and switched to a biosimilar during the course of therapy were identified. For both patient groups, disease activity and safety were examined and compared separately. Results After January 1, 2017, 348 patients started treatment with the etanercept originator (n = 293) or a biosimilar (n = 55). Another 57 patients switched to a biosimilar during the course of therapy. A significant decrease or a stable remission of disease activity was observed in both patient groups. The safety profiles were comparable, and frequencies and types of adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs were similar in patients starting therapy with the originator or a biosimilar. Only injection site reactions occurred slightly more frequently under biosimilar therapy, without having an impact on therapy adherence. In patients who switched therapy, the AE rate per 100 patient-years was comparable before (26.4) and after (32.1) the switch. Conclusion In patients with JIA who require treatment with etanercept, the originator is still used much more frequently. However, our study highlights the equivalence of etanercept biosimilars for therapy for JIA. Increased use of these biosimilars in pediatric patients can therefore be recommended without hesitation

Biologics with or without methotrexate in treatment of polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis: effectiveness, safety and drug survival

Objective To investigate the impact of additionally given MTX on biologic treatment of polyarticular JIA in terms of effectiveness, safety and drug survival. Methods Patients suffering from polyarticular JIA and treated with either monotherapy with a first biologic or a combination of a biologic and MTX were selected from the BIKER registry. The TNF-alpha inhibitors (TNFi) adalimumab, etanercept and golimumab and the IL-6 inhibitor tocilizumab were considered. Upon a non-randomized study design, we adjusted the different cohorts using propensity score matching to improve comparability. Results A total of 2148 patients entered the analysis, who were treated by either combination therapy (n = 1464) or monotherapy (n = 684). Disease activity declined significantly more in patients upon combination therapy than upon biologic monotherapy. Comparison of adjusted cohorts revealed that patients who received TNFi gained more benefit from additionally given MTX than patients treated with tocilizumab. Median survival time of therapy with biologics was significantly longer upon combination therapy (3.1 years) than with monotherapy (2.7 years), as demonstrated by a Kaplan-Meier analysis (log rank test: P = 0.002). The safety profile was moderately affected by additional MTX due to increased incidence of gastrointestinal and hepatic adverse events. Serious adverse events occurred at an equal rate of 3.6 events per 100 patient-years in both cohorts. Conclusion Additionally given MTX improves the effectiveness of biologic treatment in polyarticular JIA without seriously compromising treatment safety. Especially TNFi benefit from combination, while no improvement in outcome has been observed by combining tocilizumab with MTX

Update of evidence- and consensus-based guidelines for the treatment of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) by the German Society of Pediatric and Juvenile Rheumatic Diseases (GKJR): New perspectives on interdisciplinary care

Background: New therapeutic strategies for juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) have evolved within the past ten years, and as a result, an update of the 2011 recommendations of the German management guidelines was initiated.Methods: A systemic literature review was performed, overarching principles were proposed and pre-selected via an online survey followed by two multidisciplinary consensus conferences. Pharmacological and non -pharmacological treatments were discussed, statements were proposed and ultimately agreed upon by nomi-nal group technique (NGT).Results: 12 overarching therapeutic principles, as well as 9 recommendations on pharmacological and 5 on non -pharmacological treatments for JIA were agreed upon.Conclusion: This report summarizes the recent update of the interdisciplinary, consensus-based German guide-lines on the management of JIA. The multi-and interdisciplinary participation of all caregivers was central for this patient-focused update. With these guidelines, physicians can choose an evidence-based approach, which allows better tailored treatment in this vulnerable cohort of children and adolescents