OBJECTIVES: To identify the predictors of switching from biologic to Infliximab biosimilar in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients.

According to CDC, patients with IBD tend to have higher healthcare utilization including doctor’s visits, ER visits, and GI-related surgeries as compared to non-IBD patients. The recent treatment modalities in the form of biologics and biosimilars have proven beneficial in halting disease progression and improving quality of life. Biosimilars hold value in terms of providing cost-effective treatment still there is low penetration observed for biosimilar usage.

METHODS:

Patients with IBD from 2019 to 2022 were included in our study. Real-world data was comprehensively used from Optum® de-identified Market Clarity database, which links EHR and multi-payer claims data. Patients with continuous eligibility for medical and pharmacy claims in the pre-index period of 6 months were considered. The biosimilar start date was the index date. Predictor variables of demographics, medication history, labs, procedures, signs & symptomology in the baseline period of 6 months were evaluated. A total of 4,221 patients who switched from biologics or conventional DMARDs to Infliximab biosimilar were identified for the study. Logistic regression was performed for the prediction.

RESULTS:

In the baseline period, 76% of patients were on Infliximab biologic and the remaining were on other biologics therapy or conventional DMARDs. African Americans and Asians were 25% and 16% more likely to switch to biosimilar therapy respectively. The Medicare population was 85% more likely to switch from biologics to biosimilar therapy.

CONCLUSIONS:

This study will aid in the identification of the factors that influence prescribing decisions leading to switch from biologics to biosimilars. The study can then be used to focus on a specific patient characteristic to promote early adoption of biosimilars, and ultimately lower the overall total cost of care.