REAL-WORLD ORAL CORTICOSTEROID TREATMENT PATTERNS IN PORTUGUESE SLE PATIENTS: RESULTS FROM THE TRANSFORM STUDY
Author(s)
António Marinho, MD, PhD1, Luís Inês, MD, PhD2, Mário Santos, .1, Maria Cary, MSc3, Carolina Rojais, PharmD3, Marta Clemente, MSc3, João Brandão, MSc3, Zilda Maria Mendes, MSc3, António Teixeira Rodrigues, PharmD, PhD3, Maria Joao Marques, MSc4, Adriana Nascimento, MSc4, Sofia Santos, MSc4, Perpétua Inês Henriques Rocha, MSc4, Patrícia Manteigas, PharmD4, Hugo Martinho, PharmD4, Filipa Bernardo, PhD Candidate4.
1Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Porto, Portugal, 2University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal, 3Cientis, Lisbon, Portugal, 4AstraZeneca, Lisbon, Portugal.
1Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS), Porto, Portugal, 2University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal, 3Cientis, Lisbon, Portugal, 4AstraZeneca, Lisbon, Portugal.
OBJECTIVES: TRANSfORM study aimed to characterize real-world OCS treatment patterns, along with other relevant sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, as well as healthcare resources utilization, among Portuguese adults with SLE, managed in community pharmacies.
METHODS: TRANSfORM was an observational, cross-sectional, multicentre study, conducted in Portuguese ANF affiliated community pharmacies. Adults with self-reported, physician-diagnosed SLE were recruited by trained pharmacists upon written consent. The patients were identified through a hydroxychloroquine prescription trigger embedded in the pharmacy dispensing software, pharmacist identified possible SLE case, or patient self-referral. Data was collected with an electronic questionnaire developed exclusively for this study. Analyses used descriptive statistics.
RESULTS: From june to November 2025, 152 community pharmacies invited 475 patients, of which 339 were recruited. Of those, 90.7% were female, with an average age of 56.9 years (SD=13.9). More than half of the recruited patients (51.3%) were starting or on-going SLE treatment with OCS. 86.7% of OCS users reported a treatment duration of 3 or more months, most of them with fixed-dose posology. Among the patients reporting fixed-dose OCS treatment, 24.4% presented daily doses above EULAR/ACR recommendations of 5mg/day prednisone equivalent. Regarding HCRU, 90.6% of the study population reported at least one scheduled SLE-related medical visit, with a mean of 3 visits (SD 2.2), and 24.5% reported at least one emergency department visit, with a mean of 2 visits (SD 1.4), in the last 12 months.
CONCLUSIONS: The TRANSfORM study results provided valuable insights of the real- world OCS treatment patterns, in Portugal. Regarding HCRU, it might show a significant burden for these patients, since most of them had at least one scheduled SLE-related medical visit over the past year and a relevant proportion required emergency department care. These results might shape the therapeutic approach and clinical practice for SLE patients, to get them closer to EULAR/ACR recommendations.
METHODS: TRANSfORM was an observational, cross-sectional, multicentre study, conducted in Portuguese ANF affiliated community pharmacies. Adults with self-reported, physician-diagnosed SLE were recruited by trained pharmacists upon written consent. The patients were identified through a hydroxychloroquine prescription trigger embedded in the pharmacy dispensing software, pharmacist identified possible SLE case, or patient self-referral. Data was collected with an electronic questionnaire developed exclusively for this study. Analyses used descriptive statistics.
RESULTS: From june to November 2025, 152 community pharmacies invited 475 patients, of which 339 were recruited. Of those, 90.7% were female, with an average age of 56.9 years (SD=13.9). More than half of the recruited patients (51.3%) were starting or on-going SLE treatment with OCS. 86.7% of OCS users reported a treatment duration of 3 or more months, most of them with fixed-dose posology. Among the patients reporting fixed-dose OCS treatment, 24.4% presented daily doses above EULAR/ACR recommendations of 5mg/day prednisone equivalent. Regarding HCRU, 90.6% of the study population reported at least one scheduled SLE-related medical visit, with a mean of 3 visits (SD 2.2), and 24.5% reported at least one emergency department visit, with a mean of 2 visits (SD 1.4), in the last 12 months.
CONCLUSIONS: The TRANSfORM study results provided valuable insights of the real- world OCS treatment patterns, in Portugal. Regarding HCRU, it might show a significant burden for these patients, since most of them had at least one scheduled SLE-related medical visit over the past year and a relevant proportion required emergency department care. These results might shape the therapeutic approach and clinical practice for SLE patients, to get them closer to EULAR/ACR recommendations.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
PCR92
Topic
Clinical Outcomes, Epidemiology & Public Health, Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Patient-reported Outcomes & Quality of Life Outcomes
Disease
Systemic Disorders/Conditions (Anesthesia, Auto-Immune Disorders (n.e.c.), Hematological Disorders (non-oncologic), Pain)