Coût de la polyarthrite rhumatoïde en France : comparaison léflunomide/étanercept

A retrospective observational study was carried out in the Midi-Pyrenees area, from the point of view of health insurance, to compare the consumed health resources between two cohorts of patients, one treated by etanercept (Enbrel®) and the other by leflunomide (Arava®). Two hundred and fifty three patients were included in the etanercept cohort and 539 in the leflunomide cohort. The average annual PR cost for a patient treated with etanercept is 13 936 € and 5 764 € for a patient treated with leflunomide. The health costs avoided by recourse to etanercept do not compensate the high cost of this drug.