A study published in Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology found that patients with rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) experienced a worsening in the patient global assessment when they switched from AbbVie’s Humira® (adalimumab) to Samsung Bioepis’ Imraldi® for administrative/economic reasons. Patients with PsA also reported a worsening in Health Assessment Questionnaires. However, there were no differences found in other relevant scores (such as the disease activity score or Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index). Interestingly, where patients switched (also for non-medical reasons) from Amgen’s biosimilar Amgevita® to Imraldi®, no differences were found in patient-reported outcomes.
The authors concluded that these results may be due to a possible nocebo response, and encouraged comprehensive communication with patients to prevent worse outcomes when switching from the originator product to a biosimilar.