HUMIRA(R) (adalimumab) Data Show That Treating Early Rheumatoid Arthritis With Combination Treatment Resulted in Cost Savings From Improved Work Pr...( Rheumatoid Arthritis is the Leadin...),Health

Rheumatoid Arthritis is the Leading Cause of Work Disability in Europe

PARIS, June 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- New data announced today showed that treating patients with early, active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with Abbott's HUMIRA(R) (adalimumab) and methotrexate (MTX) resulted in an indirect cost savings of euro 4,845 (or approximately USD$6,086 using exchange rates at the time of the study) per patient per year compared to MTX treatment alone. These cost savings were attributed to improved work performance, ability to gain or regain employment and a reduction in the number of missed workdays. A separate analysis found that joint damage in the early stages of RA is a predictor of a patient's ability to gain or retain employment. These data were presented at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) annual meeting in Paris.

"While rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive and chronic disease, patients may be able to continue productive work lives with the help of treatment options such as adalimumab," said Ronald F. van Vollenhoven, M.D., Ph.D., Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.

More than five million people worldwide have RA, and most of them are considered to be in the prime of their working lives (between 30-50 years of age). The data are from DE032, an economic companion study to PREMIER, a two-year, randomized, double-blind, comparator-controlled study that compared the effectiveness of HUMIRA and MTX to MTX alone in treating early RA. At baseline, a total of 433 patients with early, active RA were identified, including 235 active, paid workers. Patients were evaluated on three measures: number of missed days of work due to RA, degree of work performance affected by RA and employment status.

The study found that:

-- For paid and household workers, estimated indirect cost savings in

patients with early RA treated with HUMIRA plus MTX (compared to MTX

alone) were euro 4,845 (or
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