A Time to Cardiovascular Event Analysis Comparing Tocilizumab to Other Biologics in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)

Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Patients Using Tocilizumab as Compared With Other Biologics in Multiple Large Healthcare Databases

This retrospective cohort study will analyze data from multiple large U.S. health insurance claims databases to compare use of tocilizumab to other biologic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) in real world patients with RA. Using the date of dispensing as the index date, the analysis will compute the time to first event for several cardiovascular outcomes.

Inclusion Criteria:

• At least 1 inpatient or 2 outpatient diagnoses of RA
• Continuous medical/pharmacy coverage and full claims data available
• At least 6 months of insurance plan enrollment prior to index date

Exclusion Criteria:

• Nursing home residents
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
• Malignancy
• Receipt of chemotherapy
• End-stage renal disease, dialysis, or transplant
• Use of rituximab
• Recent cardiovascular event (includes MI, stroke, ACS, or HF) within 90 days prior to index date