Results of Danish Infliximab Biosimilar Switching Study Published

Researchers in Denmark recently published a report from an observational study of 802 Danish patients who switched from Remicade to the biosimilar infliximab product Remsima for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and axial spondyloarthritis.  In May 2015, Denmark implemented a national guideline mandating non-medical switching of all patients treated with Remicade to Remsima.  The study evaluated disease activity and retention rates of patients in the nationwide quality registry, DANBIO.  According to the report, the results showed that disease activities were similar in the 3 months before and after switching and that crude 1-year retention rate on Remsima was similar to, and but slightly lower than, the retention rate in the historic Remicade cohort.  According to the authors, this is the first study of large-scale, non-medical switching in routine care with prospective data collection.