Background: ava® is a new reusable electromechanical auto-injector (e-Device) with disposable, single-use certolizumab pegol (CZP) dispensing cartridges.
Methods: RA0098 (NCT03357471) was a US, multicenter, open-label, phase 3 study designed to assess whether the e-Device can be used safely and effectively by self-injecting patients. CZP pre-filled syringe (PFS) self-injecting patients (≥18 years) diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis, psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, and Crohn's disease received training and self-injected CZP using the e-Device at 2 visits. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients able to self-inject safely and effectively at Visit 2, defined as: 1) complete dose delivery, and 2) no adverse events related to the e-Device precluding its continued use.
Results: 65/67 patients (97.0%) completed the study, 64/65 (98.5%) performed safe and effective self-injection at Visit 2, and 67/67 (100%) performed safe and effective self-injection at Visit 1. Patient satisfaction and self-confidence increased over the two visits. Overall, patients reported a preference for the e-Device (58/65; 89.2%) compared to a PFS (4/65; 6.2%).
Conclusions: Patients were able to safely and effectively self-inject CZP using the e-Device and most preferred ava® over a PFS. No safety-related findings impacting the benefit-risk ratio of CZP were identified.
Keywords: Self-injection; certolizumab pegol; e-Device; patient preference.