Observational studyBMJ open2024
Comparative effectiveness of biologics in patients with rheumatoid arthritis stratified by body mass index: a cohort study in a Swiss registry.
Observational study in BMJ open, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 5 citations in OpenAlex.
- Therapeutic approaches for difficult-to-treat rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic literature review of current evidence.RMD open · 2026Pooled it
- Baseline body mass index and early functional recovery after first recorded advanced therapy in rheumatoid arthritis: a real-world cohort study.Rheumatology international · 2026Article
- What to do when the first TNF inhibitor fails in rheumatoid arthritis: stratified expert recommendations from a scoping review and Delphi consensus.Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease · 2026Article
- The impact of obesity and overweight on rheumatoid arthritis patients: real-world insights from a biologic and targeted synthetic DMARDs registry.Rheumatology international · 2025Observational
- Impact of obesity on clinical outcomes and treatment continuation in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving non-TNF-targeted therapies.Therapeutic advances in musculoskeletal disease · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesObesity is associated with lower treatment response in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In patients with obesity, abatacept was suggested as a preferable option to tumour necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors. We aimed to assess the comparative effectiveness of etanercept, infliximab and abatacept, compared with adalimumab, in patients with RA with obesity. Secondarily, we also investigated this in patients with overweight and normal weight for completeness.
designObservational cohort study.
settingSwiss Clinical Quality Management in Rheumatic Diseases (SCQM) registry (1997-2019).
participantsAdult patients with RA from the SCQM registry who received etanercept, infliximab, abatacept or adalimumab as their first biological or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug were classified based on their body mass index (BMI) at the start of that treatment in three cohorts: obese, overweight, normal weight. They were followed for a maximum of 1 year. EXPOSURE: The study exposure of interest was the patients' first biological, particularly: etanercept, infliximab and abatacept, compared with adalimumab. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary study outcome was remission within 12 months, defined as 28-joint Disease Activity Score (DAS28) <2.6. Missingness was addressed using confounder-adjusted response rate with attrition correction. Logistic regression was used to compare the effectiveness of etanercept, infliximab and abatacept versus adalimumab. Each BMI cohort was addressed and analysed separately.
resultsThe study included 443 obese, 829 overweight and 1243 normal weight patients with RA. There were no statistically significant differences in the odds of DAS28-remission at ≤12 months for etanercept, infliximab and abatacept, compared with adalimumab, in any of the BMI cohorts.
conclusionsNo differences in DAS28-remission were found between the study drugs and adalimumab as first biologic in patients with RA, independently of the BMI cohort. We did not find evidence that treatment with abatacept increased the likelihood of remission compared with adalimumab among obese patients with RA.
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