<p>Treatment Mode Preferences in Psoriatic Arthritis: A Qualitative Multi-Country Study</p>

Abstract

Objective: Qualitative research exploring patient preferences regarding the mode of treatment administration for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is limited. We report patient preferences and their reasons across PsA treatment modes. Methods: In this global, cross-sectional, qualitative study, interviews were conducted with adult patients with PsA in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, and the US. Patients were currently taking a disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD). Patients indicated the order and strength of preference (0-100; 100 = strongest) across four modes of treatment administration: oral (once daily), self-injection (weekly), clinic injection (weekly), and infusion (monthly); reasons for preferences were qualitatively assessed. Descriptive statistics were reported. Fisher's exact tests and t-tests were conducted for treatment mode outcomes. Results: Overall, 85 patients were interviewed (female, 60.0%; mean age, 49.8 years). Firstchoice ranking (%) and mean [standard deviation] preference points were: oral (49.4%; 43.9 [31.9]); self-injection (34.1%; 32.4 [24.8]); infusion (15.3%; 14.5 [20.0]); clinic injection (1.2%; 9.2 [10.0]). Of 48 (56.5%) patients with a strong first-choice preference (ie point allocation ≥60), 66.7% chose oral administration. Self-injection was most often selected as second choice (51.8%), clinic injection as third (49.4%), and infusion as fourth (47.1%). Oral administration was the first-choice preference in the US (88.0% vs 38.0% in Europe). The most commonly reported reason for oral administration as the first choice was speed and ease of administration (76.2%); for self-injection, this was convenience (75.9%). The most commonly reported reason for avoiding oral administration was concern about possible drug interactions (63.6%); for self-injection, this was a dislike of needles or the injection process (66.7%). Conclusion: Patients with PsA preferred oral treatment administration, followed by selfinjection; convenience factors were common reasons for these preferences. Overall, 43.5% of patients did not feel strongly about their first-choice preference and may benefit from discussions with healthcare professionals about PsA treatment administration options.

Experiences and Treatment Preferences in Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study in the ArthritisPower Registry

“…This survey was conducted through ArthritisPower, a rheumatology-focused patient organization, which may also have led to recruiting bias toward patients experiencing joint pain symptoms over psoriasis-associated symptoms, resulting in overrepresentation of musculoskeletal symptoms. However, compared with other patient preference literature in the rheumatology-based PsA population, the relative symptom burden appears to be in line with other studies [3,12,30,39].…”

“…We found that most respondents in this study preferred once-daily oral dosing, although mode of administration was not a high priority to many respondents when considering treatment options. The convenience of daily oral dosing often makes it a highly desired mode of administration among patients, according to respondents in this study and previous literature [ 12 , 39 ]. This preference was consistent both in patients with bDMARD experience and in patients without bDMARD experience, indicating that familiarity with parenteral administration used in bDMARDs did not change preferences for oral administration.…”

“…We also evaluated treatment preferences, including preferences for mode and frequency of administration. Previous research has indicated that mode of administration is an important factor in patient treatment preferences with respect to the ease and convenience of treatment and may improve patient outcomes [10][11][12]. We also sought to better understand patient preferences with regards to methotrexate, because it is so widely used in PsA treatment regimens [13][14][15].…”

Real-World Data from a Multi-Center Study: Insights to Psoriatic Arthritis Care

“…Reports indicate that patients prioritize biologic safety, followed by efficacy. It should be noted that some studies indicate that, in up to 40% of cases, treatment preferences stand to benefit from communication with providers [ 30 ]. One of the positive findings of our study is that nearly all patients experienced discussion over second-line treatment (i.e., biologics) with their providers.…”

Current Medication Practices and Preferences Among Patients With Psoriatic Arthritis

“…Psoriatic arthritis disease characteristics are shown in Table 2. The median duration of skin symptoms was 19 years (IQR, 10-34), the median duration of joint symptoms was 12 years (IQR, 8-21), and the median time since PsA diagnosis by a physician was 8 years (IQR, [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Peripheral and axial PsA symptoms were present in 97% and 52% of patients, respectively.…”