From Conventional to Advanced Therapies: A National Health Registry Report (2016-2022) on DMARDs in Rheumatoid Arthritis Treatment in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE

There are national and international guidelines on the optimal use of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs. In this study, we aimed to provide critical insights into the real-world efficacy and adherence of these DMARDs, providing a data-driven basis for optimizing treatment paradigms for RA within the national healthcare framework.

METHODS

This nationwide cohort study utilized data from the Turkish Ministry of Health National Electronic Database, known as E-Pulse between January 2016 and December 2022. In this analysis, cases of RA were identified using ICD-10 codes two times at least 30 days apart Treatment prescriptions were recorded based on their prescription at baseline and follow-up.

RESULTS

There were a total of 347,902 RA (79.5% female) patients in the E-Pulse system. The mean (SD) age of RA patients was 59.1 (14.8) years Methotrexate and sulfasalazine (35.1% vs 30.5%, OR 95% CI 0.81 usage was more common in men and hydroxychloroquine was more common in women 46.764 (13.4%) patients were prescribed bDMARD and/or tsDMARD 494.499 times. AntiTNF drugs are the most commonly prescribed drugs. This is followed by B-cell blockers, JAK inhibitors, anti-IL6 and T-cell blockers.

CONCLUSION

Turkish national health database highlights the widespread use of synthetic DMARDs in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). While traditional DMARDs like methotrexate and hydroxychloroquine are favored the cautious use of advanced therapies, particularly anti-TNFs, suggests a potential for optimizing treatment protocols.