OBJECTIVES: Baricitinib, an oral selective JAK 1/2 inhibitor, is approved for treating adults with moderate-to-severe active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA-BE-REAL is a 3-year, multinational, prospective, observational study of adult patients with RA evaluating time to discontinuation of initial RA treatment. This analysis reports the extent of healthcare resource use (HCRU) by European (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and UK) patients with RA following 12 months (M) treatment with baricitinib, biologic (b) disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) or any other targeted synthetic (ts)DMARDs.

METHODS: Two patient cohorts were assessed: patients in cohort A initiated treatment with baricitinib (2-mg/4-mg), and patients in cohort B initiated any other tsDMARD or bDMARD (b/tsDMARD). This pre-specified interim analysis reports descriptive HCRU by country over 12M using summary statistics, without any inferential testing.

RESULTS: Over 12M, the mean number of total and RA-related visits to general practitioners, outpatient doctors or emergency rooms was similar between cohort A and B in each country. At 12M, French and German patients in cohort B had more frequent mean total visits to other healthcare professionals (specialist nurses, dieticians, physical therapists, psychotherapists) (France: cohort A 2.1[SD5.6]; cohort B 10.6[SD22.4], Germany: cohort A 4.4[SD11.4]; cohort B 7.8[SD23.1]) and RA-related (France: cohort A 1.0[SD2.9]; cohort B 8.1[SD20.4], Germany: cohort A 2.7[SD7.9]; cohort B 4.5[SD16.3]) than those in cohort A. In all other countries, the number of total and RA-related visits to healthcare professionals was similar between cohorts. Over 12M, the number and duration of total and RA-related hospitalisations was similar between cohort A and B.

CONCLUSIONS: Overall, HCRU at 12M was similar between cohort A and B in the different countries, except in France and Germany where cohort A reports fewer visits to other healthcare professionals than cohort B. Although not powered to detect differences in HCRU outcomes, this study presents RA-related HCRU not available from clinical trials.