PHILADELPHIA—Most patients with inflammatory bowel disease who switch from infliximab to an infliximab biosimilar report a positive experience, according to survey data presented at ACG 2024.
Many patients who achieve remission with one form of infliximab must switch to a biosimilar agent due to cost savings and insurance demands, but few U.S. studies have focused on patients’ real-world experience, noted investigator Anh Trinh Doan, DO, a resident at Baylor Scott & White (BSW), in Temple, Texas.
Dr. Doan and her co-investigators surveyed patients treated at BSW’s IBD center who achieved remission on infliximab and were switched to an infliximab biosimilar, asking them to rate the switch with respect to their overall experience, symptom control before and after the switch, and the counseling they received before switching. The study involved 67 eligible patients, 12 with ulcerative colitis and 55 with Crohn’s disease, 41 of whom rated their experience using the Likert scale.
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The investigators found that 85.4% of patients reported being satisfied with the biosimilar medication, with 82% reporting satisfaction with symptom control. In addition, 84.6% said they were “very satisfied” with the counseling they received.
Three infliximab biosimilar agents have been approved by the FDA since 2016: infliximab-abda (Renflexis, Organon), infliximab-axxq (Avsola, Amgen) and infliximab-dyyb (Inflectra, Pfizer).
“IBD drugs have given patients their life back,” Dr. Doan told Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News. “I felt it was important to study these biosimilars because of the increasingly large role they play in IBD care.”
This satisfaction survey was conducted in tandem with a forthcoming study monitoring patients’ medical response to biosimilars, Dr. Doan said, conducted under the guidance of Christopher Johnson, MD, PhD, the director of the Division of Gastroenterology at BSW. For that study in the same cohort, patients were stabilized on infliximab for at least three months before switching and were followed for 12 months. Some patients needed steroids or dosing adjustments and met the definition of failing the therapy in the first year, Dr. Doan noted, but she added that she was surprised to see that 100% of the patients ultimately achieved clinical remission within 24 months. This further crystallized her sense of equivalent efficacy among infliximab and its biosimilars, she said.
However, the survey demonstrated some communication gaps that leave some patients frustrated. Participants’ most frequent complaints involved insurance and copays, with many indicating they would like providers to include drug costs more consistently in discussions.
“There is a lack of transparency and clear communication sometimes,” she said. “Depending on someone’s insurance plan, the cost of the drug sometimes goes up after switching to a biosimilar. I understand why a patient would be frustrated.” She said this finding underscores the critical role that administrators, financial representatives and social workers play in patient satisfaction.