Objective:

To investigate healthcare utilization and costs in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients pre- to post-initiation of biologic agents in Taiwan from 1996 to 2017.

Approach:

Key Findings:

• RA patients have higher medical expenditures compared to non-RA patients.
• The introduction of biologics has led to increased drug costs but decreased overall healthcare costs due to fewer emergency visits and hospitalizations.
• Previous studies focused mainly on TNF inhibitors, with limited data on other biologics and tofacitinib.

Interpretation:

The study provides insights into healthcare resource utilization and costs associated with various biologic treatments for RA in Taiwan.

Limitations:

• Exclusion of patients treated with Rituximab, limiting the generalizability of findings.
• Focus on a single-payer system may not reflect costs in other healthcare settings, potentially affecting the applicability of the results.

Conclusion:

The study provides a detailed analysis of healthcare utilization and costs associated with different biologic treatments for RA.

Attribution Notice

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