BRIEF—ICER draft evidence report on rheumatoid arthritis therapies

The USA’s Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) yesterday released a  Draft Evidence Report assessing the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of treatments of for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

In its 2017 Review, the ICER assessed the relative effectiveness and value of all available targeted immune modulators (TIMs)  at that time.

Since that report two additional JAK inhibitors, baricitinib (Olumiant, from Ell Lilly) and upadacitinib (Rinvoq, from AbbVie) received US Food and Drug Administration approval.

Therefore, the ICER decided to update the evidence for JAK inhibitors for adults with moderate-to-severe RA.

In addition, to better reflect current clinical practice and guidelines using a treat-to-target approach, the ICER says it focused on measures of disease activity at three months. Patients not achieving remission or low disease activity after three months of therapy are typically switched to a different TIM.

This draft report will be open to  public comment until 5pm ET on October 24, 2019.

Based on stakeholder feedback, ICER may revise key assumptions and findings for its Evidence Report, which will be published on November 7, 2019.

The Evidence Report will be subject to deliberation during a public meeting of the California Technology Assessment Forum ( CTAF), one of the ICER’s three independent evidence appraisal committees, on November 7, 2019.