Drug retention not affected by adalimumab biosimilar switch

Patients with psoriasis who switched from Humira to adalimumab biosimilars for nonmedical reasons had similar drug retention as those who stayed on the originator, according to a study.

A Danish nationwide registry of patients on biologics was used in this cohort study of 378 patients treated with Humira (adalimumab, AbbVie) and 348 patients treated with adalimumab biosimilars.

“All adalimumab biosimilars had similar efficacy and safety data compared with adalimumab originator,” Nikolai Loft, MD, of the department of dermatology and allergy, Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, and colleagues wrote. “However, limited knowledge about real-world data exists for switching to adalimumab biosimilars.”

One-year drug retention and adverse events were evaluated in the study.

After 12 months, 28 patients (8%) in the biosimilar group stopped treatment, with 12 (42.3%) doing so because of insufficient effect, nine (32.1%) due to adverse events and seven (25%) for other reasons. Nine switched back to Humira.

Of those in the Humira group, 30 patients (7.9%) stopped treatment after 12 months. Sixteen (53.3%) did so because of insufficient effect, seven (23.3%) because of adverse events and seven (23.3%) for other reasons.

Adverse events were recorded more often in patients in the biosimilar group compared with the Humira group, 21 (6.6%) vs. three (0.8%) (P < .001).

“In line with the phase 3 clinical trials of adalimumab biosimilars, no differences were found for the 1-year drug retention for the adalimumab biosimilars (GP2017 and SB5) compared with adalimumab originator after a mandatory switch,” the authors wrote.