Perception and Opinions of Physicians on the Safety and Tolerability of Biotherapeutics: A Survey Study

Introduction: Biotherapeutics represent one of the major therapeutic breakthroughs in the fight against many serious or invalidating diseases. Despite their undeniable interest, their safety profile is affected by the frequency of immuno-allergic events. The aim of our study is to describe immunological adverse events occurring with biotherapeutic, and also to gather prescribers’ perceptions of the tolerability of these products, in order to draw their attention to the need to monitor these effects and also to take the necessary actions to implement measures that minimize the risk of these events occurring. Materials and Methods: This was a quantitative descriptive perception survey, carried out by means of a self-administered electronic questionnaire. The data was collected over a four-month period, from January 08 to April 04, 2023. Results: We collected a total of 134 responses, of which 91.79% were prescribing biotherapeutics. In terms of therapeutic indications for biotherapeutics musculoskeletal and connective tissue disorders accounted for 44.75%, followed by skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders for 28.02%. The most prescribed molecules were immunosuppressive agents (68%), followed by antineoplastic agents. The results obtained show that disorders of the immune system were the most common, in 32.79% of cases, followed by disorders of the skin and subcutaneous tissue in 19.67% of cases. Efficacy was judged to be good by 86.36% of prescribers, and tolerance was judged to be good in 69.93% of cases. Conclusion: Our study highlights that the tolerability of biotherapeutic remains a significant concern for prescribers. This underscores the importance of raising awareness among healthcare professionals about the spontaneous reporting of all adverse events associated with biotherapeutic, which will contribute to establishing their tolerability profile.