Abstract
This study examined non-adherence to biological therapy with adalimumab and etanercept and associated factors in patients with rheumatic diseases treated under the Brazilian Unified National Health System in Minas Gerais State, Brazil. A non-concurrent cohort study was performed from pharmacy records of adult patients that had recently initiated treatment. Patient non-adherence was measured by proportion of days covered (PDC), and non-adherent patients were defined as PDC < 0.8. A total of 1,150 patients were included, with the following breakdown: 64.3% rheumatoid arthritis, 8.5% psoriatic arthritis , and 27.2% ankylosing spondylitis. In total, 33.5% of patients were non-adherent. Factors such as younger age (19-39 years), female gender, diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis , and initial treatment with etanercept were associated with low adherence. The results indicate a high prevalence of non-adherence, which can lead to worse health outcomes and increase healthcare use and costs.
Medication Adherence; Biological Therapy; Rheumatic Diseases
