Studies presented by Janssen Biotech at the 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting reveal higher discontinuation rates in patients newly beginning or switching to treatment with Remsima/Inflectra (CT-P13).

Janssen Biotech has announced findings from two claims databases relating to the interchangeability of Remicade and Remsima (CT-P13).The first study compared treatment patterns in RA patients newly beginning therapy on Remicade with patients newly beginning on Remsima. The second study examined treatment patterns in stable patients who maintained treatment with with Remicade compared to stable patients who switched from Remicade to Remsima. In both studies higher rates of treatment discontinuation were observed in patients treated with Remsima compared to those treated with Remicade.

Both claims studies analyzed patient data from the Turkish National Ministry of Health database, which contains medical billing information for approximately 80 percent of the Turkish population. The studies were presented at the 2016 ACR/ARHP annual meeting.

See-"A Descriptive Analysis of Real-World Treatment Patterns of Innovator Infliximab (REMICADE®) and Biosimilar Infliximab in a Treatment Naïve Turkish Rheumatologic Disease Population" [Presentation 1233] and "A Descriptive Analysis of Real-World Treatment Patterns in a Turkish Rheumatology Population that Continued Innovator Infliximab (REMICADE®) Therapy or Switched to Biosimilar Infliximab" [Presentation 2240].

Comment:NOR-SWITCH, a Norwegian government-sponsored study, showed no statistically significant differences in treatment outcomes for patients who were prescribed Remsima in place of Remicade.