Resumen de Biological treatments in rheumatology after the introduction of an etanercept biosimilar

Manuel Prieto Castello, Gemma Sarrió Montes, Agustín Sánchez Alcaraz

• Objective: Evaluate the use of the different alternatives available for the treatment of rheumatologic diseases in a rheumatology service before and after the introduction of biosimilar etanercept. Method: A retrospective observational study of the prescription of biological drugs was carried out in the first line after the introduction of a etanercept biosimilar in the Rheumatology Service. Results: After the introduction of the biosimilar of etanercept, a reduction in the prescription of etanercept was observed, which went from being the first choice by physicians in 38.9% of cases to 9.5%. However, there is an increase in the prescription of secukinumab, which went from not being used in the first line to being the most used (28.6%) together with baricitinib (28.6%) that was previously only prescribed in 5.6% of cases, assuming this a change not only of the drug used but also of the target of action chosen by the physician. Conclusions: Training in biosimilars in the hospital will be promoted to raise awareness among prescribing physicians about the similarity of the biosimilar drug to the reference drug and its efficiency for the national health system. © 2020 Rasgo Editorial S.A.. All rights reserved.