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Economics of Non-Adherence to Biologic Therapies in Rheumatoid Arthritis

  • Health Economics and Quality of Life (M Harrison, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Adherence to biologic therapies among patients with rheumatoid arthritis is sub-optimal, with the proportion of adherent patients reported to be as low as 11 %. We found few studies evaluating economic outcomes, including health care costs, associated with non-adherence with biologic therapies. Findings suggest that while higher pharmacy costs drive total health care costs among adherent patients, non-adherent patients incur greater health care utilization including inpatient, outpatient, and laboratory services. Finally, economic factors are important determinants of adherence to biologics in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Evidence to date has shown that higher out-of-pocket payments have a negative association with adherence to biologics. Furthermore, cost-related non-adherence is a highly prevalent problem in rheumatoid arthritis. Given the high costs of biologics and continued expansion of use in rheumatoid arthritis, there is need for more research to understand the economic implications of adherence to these therapies.

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Conflict of Interest

Mary A. De Vera reports that she is a recipient of a Network Scholar Award from The Arthritis Society / Canadian Arthritis Network and a Scholar Award from the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, outside the submitted work.

Jonathan Mailman and Jessica S. Galo declare no conflicts of interest.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of British Columbia Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2405 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada

    Mary A. De Vera, Jonathan Mailman & Jessica S. Galo

  2. Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, Richmond, BC, Canada

    Mary A. De Vera

  3. Fraser Health Authority, Surrey, BC, Canada

    Jonathan Mailman

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  1. Mary A. De Vera
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Correspondence to Mary A. De Vera.

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De Vera, M.A., Mailman, J. & Galo, J.S. Economics of Non-Adherence to Biologic Therapies in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Curr Rheumatol Rep 16, 460 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-014-0460-5

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