Baseline characteristics
| Variable | Infliximab | Adalimumab | Etanercept | p Value (between- group differences) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of patients (% from cohort) | 571 (21) | 453 (16) | 1718 (63) | |
| Number of prescribers (based on first dispensing event for each patient; total 58 prescribers) | 49 | 46 | 58 | |
| Patients treated with a drug with higher preference, N (%) | 193 (34) | 84 (19) | 1198 (70) | <0.0001 |
| Demographics | ||||
| Females, N (%) | 403 (71) | 326 (72) | 1239 (72) | 0.77 |
| Age at index, median years (range) | 56 (18–87) | 58 (22–91) | 56 (18–92) | 0.003 |
| Annual deductible for prescription cost, N (%) | ||||
| Very low ($0) | 47 (8.3) | 80 (18) | 199 (12) | <0.0001 |
| Low ($1–$500) | 33 (5.8) | 53 (12) | 152 (8.9) | 0.004 |
| Medium ($501–$2250) | 92 (16) | 109 (24) | 315 (18) | 0.004 |
| High (>$2250) | 35 (6.1) | 38 (8.4) | 143 (8.3) | 0.22 |
| Residence in Greater Vancouver/Victoria, N (%) | 341 (60) | 224 (50) | 782 (46) | <0.0001 |
| Clinical status | ||||
| Number of physician visits median (range) | 33 (3–158) | 31 (2–112) | 32 (3–136) | 0.25 |
| At least one admission to hospital, N (%) | 104 (18) | 63 (14) | 340 (20) | 0.01 |
| Extra-articular manifestations, N (%) | 28 (4.9) | 14 (3.1) | 60 (3.5) | 0.23 |
| Presence of comorbidity (score>0), N (%) | 113 (20) | 95 (21) | 383 (22) | 0.41 |
| RA disease duration median, years (range) | 9.2 (0.1–17.9) | 7.7 (0.3–17.9) | 8.0 (0–17.8) | 0.21 |
| RA drugs | ||||
| Concomitant MTX, N (%) | 388 (68) | 264 (58) | 856 (50) | <0.0001 |
| Dispensing claims for NSAIDs, N (%) | 307 (54) | 214 (47) | 923 (54) | 0.04 |
| Number of different antirheumatic drugs, median (range) | 4 (0–8) | 4 (0–8) | 4 (0–9) | 0.46 |
For detailed descriptions of the variables refer to table 1.
$, Canadian dollars; MTX, methotrexate; NSAID, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug; RA, rheumatoid arthritis.