There has
been a study on opportunistic infections in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
receiving abatacept or placebo.
T. Simon
and colleagues presented this study [1]: “RISK OF OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS IN
PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS INITIATING ABATACEPT: ANALYSIS OF ALL
AVAILABLE CLINICAL TRIAL DATA.” The authors looked at a total of 7044 patients
with RA with approximately 21,330 patient-years of abatacept
exposure. Conclusions: “Abatacept-treated pts had a lower incidence rate of OI
compared with placebo. The OI and herpes infection incidence rates in the
cumulative data are similar or lower to those reported in the literature.”
Hooray! Now
we know how harmless abatacept is. This isn’t arguing the data or the
statistical analysis. But it can’t be the whole truth. The data presented
leaves open the why. Why should patients receiving placebo have a higher rate
of opportunistic infections? Maybe placebo patients received just a little more
prednisolone. I don’t know. But what I know is reading studies on abatacept
very cautiously in the future.
Links and
References:
[1] DOI:
10.1136/annrheumdis-2017-eular.2306
.
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