Objectives: To analyze the proportion of successful biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) discontinuation and related factors in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical settings.
Methods: Among 1775 RA patients who started bDMARDs between 2003 and 2012, 43 patients with DAS28-ESR <3.2 at the time of bDMARD discontinuation were extracted. Patients were divided into two groups (bio-free success: BS and bio-free failure: BF groups) based on bDMARD usage and disease activity 1 year after discontinuation. We evaluated the proportion of bio-free success and assessed factors related to bio-free success.
Results: Twenty-five patients (58.1%: BS group) maintained discontinuation of bDMARDs and DAS28-ESR <3.2 at 1 year after discontinuation. The median DAS28-ESR at bDMARD initiation was lower in the BS group than in the BF group (3.95 vs 5.04; p = .04). The BS group experienced a larger decrease in average glucocorticoid (GC) dose during bDMARD use than the BF group (-3.0 mg/day vs 0 mg/day; p = .01).
Conclusion: bDMARDs were discontinued without flare up of RA in 58.1% of patients with RA in clinical settings. A lower DAS28-ESR at initiation and reduction of GC dose before discontinuation of bDMARD were important factors associated with bio-free success.
Keywords: Biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs; discontinuation; drug-free; glucocorticoids; rheumatoid arthritis.