To describe baseline characteristics and to compare treatment effectiveness of secukinumab versus tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi), in patients with spondyloarthritis (SpA) using adalimumab as the main comparator.
Observational, prospective cohort study. Patients with SpA (clinical ankylosing spondylitis/non-radiographic axial SpA/undifferentiated SpA) starting secukinumab or a TNFi during 2015-2018 were identified from five Nordic clinical rheumatology registries. Comorbidities and extra-articular manifestations (psoriasis/uveitis/inflammatory bowel disease) were captured from national registries (data available in 94% of patients) and included in multivariable analyses. We assessed 1-year treatment retention (crude survival curves, adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for treatment discontinuation) and 6-months' response-rates (ASDAS<2.1/BASDAI<40mm, crude/LUNDEX-adjusted, adjusted logistic-regression analyses with odds-ratio(OR)), stratified by line of biological treatment (1
In total, 10,853 treatment courses (842 secukinumab/10,011 TNFi whereof 1,977 adalimumab) were included. The proportion treated with secukinumab during 1
Secukinumab was mainly used in biologically experienced SpA patients. Secukinumab and adalimumab performed similar in patients who had failed a first biological, although with increasing prior biological exposure, adalimumab was superior.