Patient Perceptions and Preferences of Two Etanercept Autoinjectors for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Findings from a Patient Survey in Europe

Abstract

IntroductionBenepali® was the first etanercept (Enbrel®) biosimilar to be approved in the European Union. Both Benepali and Enbrel are available as autoinjector devices. In a recent survey, nurses from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK) reported that their patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) would prefer the Benepali autoinjector compared to the Enbrel MYCLIC autoinjector. To determine whether patients’ perceptions were similar to those of the nurses, this survey evaluated patients’ perceptions and preferences of the Benepali autoinjector versus the Enbrel MYCLIC autoinjector in the same five European countries.MethodsPatients with RA using the Enbrel MYCLIC autoinjector participated in a 25-min, face-to-face questionnaire-interview. Patients were also shown an instructional video and device-handling leaflet, received a live demonstration on the Benepali autoinjector, and had access to both Benepali and Enbrel MYCLIC training autoinjectors. Patients rated the importance of ten autoinjector attributes on a seven-point scale (1 = not important at all; 7 = extremely important) and provided their autoinjector preferences based on specific attributes. Patients also gave their opinion on which autoinjector they would prefer to use for self-injection.ResultsOverall, 220 patients participated in the survey (France, n = 30; Germany, n = 65; Italy, n = 67; Spain, n = 12; UK, n = 46). ‘Easy to operate the self-injection’ was ranked as the most important attribute (mean score of 6.8), followed by ‘easy to grip’ (6.5), and ‘intuitive/self-explaining usage’ (6.3). Patients preferred the Benepali autoinjector, with the attribute of ‘easier to operate’ being a strong differentiator compared to the Enbrel MYCLIC autoinjector. Most patients (74%) reported that they would prefer to use the Benepali autoinjector over the Enbrel MYCLIC autoinjector. ‘Easy to operate the self-injection’ and ‘button-free autoinjector’ were key drivers when selecting an autoinjector.ConclusionsPatients in Europe reported a preference for the Benepali autoinjector compared to the Enbrel MYCLIC autoinjector. This finding is consistent with results from a recently reported nurse survey. Funding: Biogen.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s40744-016-0048-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Using video‐based training for button‐free auto‐injection of subcutaneous methotrexate: A pilot study

“…Over the last decade, a number of different devices have been developed for self-injection of SC MTX. Studies show that patients with rheumatoid arthritis prefer auto-injector devices to prefilled syringes, reporting them to be more convenient, easier to use and less painful (Demary et al, 2014;Pachon, Kivitz, Heuer, & Pichlmeier, 2014;Saraux, Hudry, Zinovieva, & SELF-I Investigators group, 2019;Thakur, Biberger, Handrich, & Farouk Rezk, 2016).…”

Toward a new age of patient centricity? The application of eye-tracking to the development of connected self-injection systems

“…Traditionally, new product development has advanced in cycles of optimizing the user interface of pen systems and (re-) assessing patient preferences [34]. Specifically, users' self-reported ratings or responses to openended questions [18,21,35,36], interviews [37,38], or observations [39][40][41] have been established as standard methods to assess patient engagement with mechanical autoinjectors or dial-anddose insulin pens [33,[42][43][44]. However, two key challenges highlight the urgent need for new methodological approaches to study usability of digitally enhanced drug delivery systems.…”

<p>Comparison of the Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability of the Autoinjector (AI) and Pre-Filled Syringe (PFS) of SB4 in Healthy Subjects</p>

“…Most patients (74%) reported that they prefer to use SB4 AI over reference etanercept AI due to the following factors: "Easy to operate" and "button-free autoinjector". 24 Similarly, when patients, nurses, and rheumatologists in Australia and Canada were shown how to use SB4 AI and reference etanercept AI and asked to fill out brief paper-and-pencil questionnaires, results showed that patients and healthcare professionals were significantly more likely to indicate a preference for SB4 AI than reference etanercept AI for "ease of use". 25 Nurses and rheumatologists indicated that SB4 AI is simpler to learn and easier to use, thus it has the potential to reduce the time taken in training session.…”

“…Reasons that may lead to exclusion from the PKS include incomplete administration of IP and other non-compliance with the protocol. Blood samples for PK analysis were collected at each time point at 0 h (pre-dose) and 6,12,24,36,48,60,72,84,96,120,144,168,216, 312 and 480 h post-dose. Serum concentration of etanercept was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test specific for the quantification of etanercept with the lower limit of quantification 20 ng/mL.…”