Treatment Patterns, Direct Cost of Biologics, and Direct Medical Costs for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients: A Real-world Analysis of Nationwide Japanese Claims Data

Considered costs and discontinuation and switching event rates were lowest with ETN versus IFX, ADA, or TCZ used as the first-line biologic. Despite limitations, these findings imply clinical cost-reductive benefits of ETN as the first-line biologic treatment option for rheumatoid arthritis in Japan.