Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Imraldi™ is a biosimilar of the anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) monoclonal antibody adalimumab and was recently approved in Europe for the treatment of various inflammatory conditions. Imraldi is administered via an autoinjector device that features distinct design attributes compared with other biologic TNF inhibitor autoinjectors, such as the Humira (adalimumab) Pen® and Enbrel® (etanercept) MyClic® Pen were developed by the relevant pharmaceutical companies. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients' and nurses' preferences for the Imraldi versus Humira or Enbrel MyClic autoinjectors in the UK and Germany. METHODS: Patients with inflammatory joint or bowel disease and nurses with experience in educating patients with these conditions on self-injection participated in two survey studies, the first comparing the Imraldi and Humira autoinjectors and the second comparing the Imraldi and Enbrel MyClic autoinjectors. RESULTS: Overall, 101 nurses (UK, n = 50; Germany, n = 51) and 151 patients (UK, n = 90; Germany, n = 61) participated in both studies. In the first study, 85% of nurses and 78% of patients preferred the Imraldi autoinjector over the Humira autoinjector (P < 0.001); in the second study, 86% of nurses and 79% of patients preferred the Imraldi autoinjector over the Enbrel MyClic autoinjector (P < 0.001). Top reasons for preferring the Imraldi autoinjector included ease of use, ease of grip, and its button-free initiation mechanism. Most nurses indicated they would recommend the Imraldi autoinjector over the Humira and Enbrel MyClic autoinjectors, and most patients indicated they would choose the Imraldi autoinjector over the Humira and Enbrel MyClic autoinjectors to continue treatment. CONCLUSION: Nurses and patients in the UK and Germany preferred the Imraldi autoinjector over both the Humira and Enbrel MyClic autoinjectors, which may be a consideration, along with other factors, for treatment decisions in the management of patients with inflammatory joint or bowel disease. FUNDING: Biogen International GmbH.