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Introduction: This retrospective, observational study aimed to analyze and assess adherence, persistence, dosing, and use of concomitant medications of seven self-administered target drugs (abatacept, golimumab, secukinumab, tocilizumab, ustekinumab, apremilast, and tofacitinib) that are currently available in Canada for the treatment of inflammatory arthritis (IA). Methods: We used IQVIA's longitudinal claims databases, which include private drug plans and public plans. Patients with IA identified using a proprietary indication algorithm who initiated treatment with any of the target drugs between January 2015 and February 2019 were selected and followed for 12 months. Results: Golimumab and apremilast had the highest proportion of patients (~ 75%) who were bio-naïve and secukinumab had the fewest bio-naïve patients (~ 43%). The oral therapies, apremilast and tofacitinib, had the lowest percentage of adherent patients (73% and 71%) followed by abatacept (83%), while the remaining drugs had adherence around 90%. Secukinumab and tofacitinib had the highest 12-month persistence rate (63% and 61%), while abatacept and apremilast had the lowest persistence rate (52% and 47%). Oral corticosteroid (OCS) use was not significantly associated with adherence. Tocilizumab, secukinumab, and ustekinumab had the highest proportion of patients (> 20%) with dose escalation at 3–4 months from index. OCS and conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (cDMARD) use decreased in post-index period across all target drugs. Conclusion: This study identified substantial differences in patient baseline characteristics. Patients on injectable biologics were more likely to be adherent compared with those on oral drugs, possibly owing to longer dosing intervals. Other outcomes at 12 months appeared similar as evidenced by tapering of concomitant medications, although differences in persistence and dose escalation were noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Insomnia is a common sleep disorder, associated with multiple health concerns. Current medications for insomnia are associated with higher safety risks if clinical practice guidelines or monograph recommendations are not followed. This study aims to understand real-world prescribing practices among patients with insomnia in Canada, including medication utilization, potentially inappropriate medication use, cost incurred, and lines of treatment., Methods: This retrospective observational study utilized longitudinal drug claims data from 2018 to 2020 from the Canadian IQVIA National Private Drug Plan and Ontario Drug Benefit databases. Patients with any claims for medications approved for insomnia in Canada were identified. Four types of inappropriate medication usage were defined: (1) elevated daily dose; (2) extended duration of use for benzodiazepines (BZD) and/or Z-drugs; (3) combination use; and (4) opioid overlap with BZD and/or Z-drugs., Results: In 2019, 597,222 patients with insomnia were identified; 64% were female, with an average age of 55 years. Inappropriate medication use was noted in 52.5% of adult patients (aged 18-65 years) and 69.5% of senior patients (aged >65 years). Extended duration was the most common inappropriate medication usage category. The annual cost of medications for insomnia was $54.8 million, and $30.3 million (55.2%) met inappropriate medication use criteria., Conclusion: High prevalence of inappropriate medications usage in insomnia raises serious safety concerns for patients suffering from insomnia, particularly seniors, while also placing a substantial burden on the Canadian public and private health systems. This highlights an unmet need for better education regarding current guidelines and more effective and safer treatment options., (© Copyright 2024 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.)