Key clinical point: Concomitant use of antimalarials with biologic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARD) or Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi) improved the overall safety profile and persistence of treatment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Major finding: The concomitant use vs nonuse of antimalarials was associated with a reduced risk for serious adverse events (multivariate incidence rate ratios [mIRR] 0.49; P < .001), total adverse events (mIRR 0.68; P < .001), and serious infections (mIRR 0.53; P = .007) and with longer survival of treatment course (hazard ratio 0.72; P = .003).
Study details: Findings are from a registry-based cohort study including 1316 patients with RA who initiated their first bDMARD or JAKi with (n = 280) or without (n = 1,036) concomitant antimalarials.
Disclosures: This study was supported by the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology and other sources. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Source: Bredemeier M et al, for the Brazilian Society of Rheumatology and the Brazilian Registry of Biological Therapies in Rheumatic Diseases (BiobadaBrasil). The effect of antimalarials on the safety and persistence of treatment with biologic agents or JAK inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2023 (May 22). doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kead232