Drug Retention in Spondyloarthritis Varies With Socioeconomic Status

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 25, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) or axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), biologic/targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (b/tsDMARD) retention varies with countries” socioeconomic status, according to a study published online July 13 in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases.

Brigitte Michelsen, M.D., Ph.D., from the Copenhagen Center for Arthritis Research in Denmark, and colleagues collected longitudinal data from 13 European countries, including 38,911 patients with spondyloarthritis (17,296 PsA and 21,615 axSpA) initiating b/tsDMARDs in 2015 to 2021 to examine the association between national socioeconomic indicators and drug retention.

The researchers found that men and women with PsA/axSpA from countries with high versus medium/low gross domestic product (GDP) per capita had significantly lower drug retention after six, 12, and 24 months of treatment with first/second b/tsDMARDs. Higher wealth was associated with earlier discontinuation of first b/tsDMARD both in men and women with PsA and axSpA. There was variation in the strength of associations across indicators, treatment lines, and sex. The strongest associations were seen with GDP per capita and Human Development Index; these were most prominent for women with axSpA. At the country level, significantly worse disease activity measures at the start of first/second or additional b/tsDMARDs were seen with lower GDP, especially for PsA.

“This research is particularly important at this time because, although advanced treatment options have improved treatment practices, health system resources continue to differ between countries,” Michelsen said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text