Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the economic impact of adalimumab (ADA) on Japanese rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.
Methods: ANOUVEAU was a 48-week multicenter, prospective, observational, single-cohort study. Work-related outcomes including absenteeism, presenteeism, overall work impairment (OWI), and activity impairment (AI) were evaluated using the RA-related work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI/RA). The amount of productivity loss was estimated via multiplication of absenteeism, presenteeism and OWI by the national average occupational wage for paid worker (PW) and part time worker (PTW), and via multiplication of AI by the estimated wage for domestic work for home maker (HM).
Results: In this analysis, 1196 patients were included. At week 48, measures of productivity loss due to absenteeism, presenteeism, OWI, and AI were significantly improved by administrating ADA to RA patients in all employment types (PW, PTW, and HM), compared to baseline (p < .01). Productivity loss of Japanese society by RA disease was estimated to be $9.80 billion. The annual decrease in productivity loss through ADA administration to Japanese RA patients was estimated to be $3.76 billion.
Conclusions: The socioeconomic burden of RA is high, but ADA treatment may reduce productivity loss related to RA.
Keywords: Disease burden; Japan; activity impairment; biologics; work productivity.