Multi-Biomarker Disease Activity Scores Significantly Impact Rheumatologists’ Decisions

A poster presented at the 2017 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting found that multi-biomarker disease activity (MBDA) score results significantly impacted decisions to switch therapy or add new therapies. 

“The MBDA score is a validated test used to assess disease activity for patients with rheumatoid arthritis,” Jeffrey R Curtis, MD, MS, MPH, professor in rheumatology and immunology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and colleagues wrote in their presentation. “How it is used in clinical practice in the United States is unclear. We evaluated the likelihood that rheumatologists would add or switch biologic therapies based on the MBDA test result.”

The researchers linked MBDA tests results for 27,621 patients with rheumatoid arthritis Medicare fee-for-service claims made between 2012 and 2014. 

Dr Curtis and colleagues found that a total of 13.2% of patients added a biologic during the study period. Of these, patients who had higher MBDA scores were significantly more likely to add a biologic treatment. 

Additionally, they found that for the 17,182 claims for patient who were already on a biologic, 19.1% switched biologic treatments during the study period. Likewise, switching was more likely if MBDA scores were higher. Conversely, patients with lower MBDA scores were significantly less likely to switch treatments or add biologics. 

“Results from the MBDA score were significantly associated with the likelihood that a physician added or switched biologic therapies, with either type of change being more frequent when the MBDA score was high,” Dr Curtis and colleagues said. “Further evaluation of outcomes after switching, conditional on the MBDA score, is warranted.”

—David Costill