5PSQ-052 Persistence of baricitinib in a real-world setting of rheumatoid arthritis patients

<h3>Background and Importance</h3> Baricitinib is a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor that is used for the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Real-world data on the persistence and discontinuation of baricitinib are necessary to understand its long-term effectiveness. <h3>Aim and Objectives</h3> The aim was to evaluate the persistence of baricitinib in RA patients in a real-world clinical setting and determine the main reasons for treatment discontinuation. <h3>Material and Methods</h3> Retrospective observational study of RA patients treated with baricitinib up to 31 August 2024. Patients with loss to follow-up were excluded. Variables collected were: demographic data (sex, age), previous treatments, start and discontinuation date, and causes of suspension treatment. Persistence was defined as time (months) from the start of treatment until its discontinuation and calculated with Kaplan-Meier survival curves (log-rank test). Discontinuation reasons were classified into ineffectiveness, adverse events (AE), comorbidities and others. The data were obtained from the history clinical electronic program (DIRAYA) and from the prescription program (ATHOS). The statistics program used was SPPS 20.0. <h3>Results</h3> We included 143 patients, 78.3% (112) women. Median age 59 years (IQR: 29 - 86). 50.3% had not received any previous treatment, 28.7% had received one and the remaining (21%) two or more. At the end of the follow-up period, 46.9% (67) of patients discontinued baricitinib. Median persistence was 59 months (95% CI 45.6 to 78.5) (Graph1). The causes of suspension treatment: ineffectiveness in 36 patients (25.2%), AEs (13.3%) in 19 patients, age and comorbilities (3.5%) in five patients and another causes (4,9%) in seven patients. Most frequently AEs reported were gastrointestinal (7/19) followed by infections (6/19). <h3>Conclusion and Relevance</h3> The results suggest although almost half of the patients remained on baricitinib for a median of 59 months a significant proportion discontinued treatment, mainly due to ineffectiveness or AEs. These results highlight the importance of continuing to monitor effectiveness in long-term baricitinib treatment. In view of the results obtained, it would be interesting to extend the study by comparing baricitinib with the other JAK inhibitors approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. <h3>References and/or Acknowledgements</h3> <h3>Conflict of Interest</h3> No conflict of interest