Switching of biological drugs in the treatment of patients with ankylosing spondylitis

Abstract

 Aim: To identify the main reasons of changes in biological treatment of ankylosing apondylitis (AS) patients assisted in an infusion center of a university hospital (HUPES) of Salvador, BA. Methods: Cross-sectional observational study with retrospective data collection was performed. Patients with a diagnosis of AE using a biological treatment and having already performed at least one biological replacement throughout the treatment were enrolled. Pharmaceutical care follow-up records and medical records were used, using a structured form containing demographic and clinical data, history of biological treatment, as well as reasons for substitution. We used descriptive analysis of frequency, with absolute and percentage data. Results: Of the 134 patients with AS using biological treatment, 22 (16.42%), have used more than one biological. In total, 25 substitutions occurred, and the majority of patients (86.4%) used only two biologicals treatments. The treatment of choice was Infliximab (40.9% of the cases). Substitutions at all stages of treatments occurred between anti-TNFs. Regarding the reason for substitution, secondary failure was the main cause at all stages of treatment, followed by adverse events. No patient had a primary treatment failure. Conclusions: The study allowed outlining the reasons for replacing biological therapy in patients with AS presenting importance for scientific knowledge, despite the limitations.