Despite Rheumatologist Reports that BMS' Orencia is Their Preferred Non-TNF Agent for Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis, Pfizer's Xeljanz Provides Steep Competition in Actual Switching Patterns

EXTON, Pa., Oct. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Spherix Global Insights announces the release of the 2017 edition of RealWorld Dynamix™: Biologic and JAK Switching in RA, a project undertaken in collaboration with 176 US rheumatologists who provided detailed chart reviews for over 1,000 Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) patients recently switched from one biologic/JAK brand to another.

Results indicate that there is an immense opportunity for agents to capture significant switch share. Participating rheumatologists estimate that more than half of their biologic/JAK-treated RA patients are on their second or later line agent, with more than one quarter switching brands within the past year.  Similar to the prior year, the majority of recent switches are from first to second line agents, with TNF cycling still highly prevalent. AbbVie's Humira is the most preferred TNF inhibitor, followed by Amgen's Enbrel and while both brands lose share in a switching scenario, the impact to Enbrel is more severe.

Compared to the prior year, use of an alternate mechanism of action (MOA) product in the second-line setting has increased, accounting for nearly 40% of the first-line switches.  Self-reports indicate that Orencia is the leading alternative MOA, however, first-switch analysis indicates that Xeljanz is the front runner among non-TNF agents. Patients play a significantly greater role in the decision to switch to Xeljanz compared to other alternate MOA brands, frequently fueled by the desire for an oral agent. 

Overall, patients played a significant role or were the primary driver behind the decision to switch in nearly two-thirds of the recent switches. In general, when patients are highly involved, rheumatologists report that there often is not a strong clinical rationale behind the switch. Furthermore, when patient requests were the primary driver behind the decision to switch, more than half of the switching occurred within the first six months of being placed on the prior agent.

Patients are less involved in the decision to switch to IL-6 inhibitors, (Roche/Genentech's Actemra and Sanofi/Regeneron's Kevzara), however, the desire for the specific IL-6 inhibiting MOA plays a greater role and tends to be the driving force. 

RealWorld Dynamix™: Biologic and JAK Switching in Rheumatoid Arthritis (US) is a robust and deep patient chart analysis of 1,002 RA patients who were switched from one biologic or Xeljanz to a different brand in the past three months. RealWorld Dynamix™ captures the clinician's perspective on why the switch was made and the new brand chosen, as well as future intentions should the response be suboptimal. In addition to patient demographics and treatment history, clinical assessments, diagnostic tests and laboratory values are included to provide insight into the clinical course of the disease.

About Spherix Global Insights
Spherix Global Insights is an independent business intelligence and market research company, specializing in renal, autoimmune, neurologic and rare disease markets. Our aim is to apply our commercial experience and unique relationships within core specialty markets to translate data into insight, enabling our clients to make smarter business decisions.

All company, brand or product names in this document are trademarks of their respective holders.

For more information contact:
Lynn Price, Immunology Franchise Head
Email: [email protected]
www.spherixglobalinsights.com

SOURCE Spherix Global Insights

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