Biosimilars and reference biological medicines in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis: a multicenter cross-sectional study in Catalonia, Spain
A significant number of patients diagnosed with moderate to severe active RA were treated with biological medicines and receiving the available biosimilar treatments. Future research should be conducted to confirm comparable effectiveness found to their reference biologic medicines in this exploratory analysis. Key Points • Biosimilar use: 36% of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients in Catalonia are treated with biosimilars, exceeding the 12% recommendation. This reflects growing acceptance of these alternatives. • Comparative effectiveness: Biosimilars of adalimumab, etanercept, and infliximab showed comparable therapeutic benefit to their reference biologics in reducing disease activity in active rheumatoid arthritis. • Real-world data: The study provides real-world data from five hospitals, making biosimilar medicines a viable choice for rheumatologists in routine rheumatoid arthritis management.
Authors
- José J.G. Marı́n (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1186-6849)
- Juan González‐Valdivieso (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9007-2312)
- L Borràs Trias (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7556-4298)
- Núria Miserachs-Aranda
- Antonio J. Braza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-2669-7006)
- Carles Quiñones Ribas
- Paula Montoliu Alcón
- Carlos Figueiredo-Escribá (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8670-7426)
- Eva Fernández-Cañabate
- Eduardo L. Mariño (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4386-9315)
- Cecilia Fernández Lastra (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2983-1284)
- Jan Thomas De Pourcq (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9024-1072)
- Pilar Modamio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3193-6285)
- René Delgado (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7051-7871)
- Marina Molina-Olano
Institutions
- Hospital de Sant Pau (ES)
- Hospital General de Granollers (ES)
- Hospital de l'Esperança (ES)
- Hospital Universitari Sagrat Cor (ES)
- Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol (ES)
- Universitat de Barcelona (ES)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Clinical Rheumatology
- Published
- 2025-07-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-025-07568-9
- Primary Topic
- Biosimilars and Bioanalytical Methods
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Universitat de Barcelona