Abstract
Objective
The objective of this study was to describe patient experience with intravenous (IV) biologics for ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or ulcerative colitis.
Methods
Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted in 405 patients with these autoimmune diseases who were receiving an IV biologic to treat their disease.
Results
On a 7-point scale (1= not at all satisfied; 7= very satisfied), mean satisfaction with IV medication was rated 6.1; 77% of patients rated satisfaction as 6 or 7. The most frequently perceived benefits of IV therapy were related to supervision provided by health care professionals. Most patients (82%, n=332) preferred their IV medication to subcutaneous injection. The three most common reasons for preferring IV were not wanting to self-inject (43%), less frequent dosing (34%), and preference for administration by a health care professional (24%). African–American/black patients had a stronger preference for IV administration than Caucasian/white patients (97% vs 80%, P<0.05) and a greater dislike of needles/self-injection (71% vs 40%, P<0.05). Hospital outpatient departments were not rated as well as physician in-office infusion. Only half (49%) of the patients reported that both they and their physician equally influenced the choice to switch from subcutaneous to IV therapy, and only 30% were given a choice of infusion center.
Conclusion
Users of IV biologics are highly satisfied with their medications and perceive the opportunity for health care provider interaction at their infusion facilities as an advantage of their regimen. These findings support continued need for IV therapeutic options and shared decision-making between patients and physicians while selecting biologic treatments.
Acknowledgments
Jonathan Latham of PharmaScribe, LLC provided assistance with editing and submitting the manuscript. The authors thank Julie Vanderpoel, PharmD, MPA and Samir Mody, PharmD, MBA for their contributions to the study and their critical review of the manuscript. In addition to the authors, Susan Wyant, PharmD (President), and Barbara Roland, MBA (Senior Vice President) of The Dominion Group made substantial contributions to the study. The Dominion Group was responsible for recruitment, data collection, and analysis of the survey data. Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC provided financial support for this study.
Author contributions
MP Ingham, H Eldridge, SC Bolge, and JH Lofland were involved in the design of the study and the analysis and interpretation of the data. All the authors were involved in drafting, critical revision, and review of the manuscript and approved the final article.
Disclosure
At the time of the research SC Bolge, JH Lofland, C Ravin, and MP Ingham were employees of Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC and H Eldridge was an employee of Janssen Services, LLC. SC Bolge, JH Lofland, MP Ingham, and H Eldridge are stockholders of parent company Johnson & Johnson. PJ Hart was an employee of the Medaxial Group. The authors report no other conflicts of interest in this work.