The use of janus kinase inhibitors anti-interleukin therapy in the Russian Federation with COVID-19: pharmacoepidemiological study

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the volume of consumption of anti-interleukins and janus kinase inhibitors in the period 2018–2021, used as well as preventive pathogenetic therapy of COVID-19.Materials and methods. Based on actual sales data in the segments of public procurement (including regional and federal preferential drug provision) and retail sales segment in the period 2018–2021, obtained from the IQVIA database. All data was recalculated into the number of established daily doses (DDDs), with the calculation of pharmacoepidemiological indicators «Incidence of prescribing drugs», «Cumulative risk of prescribing drugs», as well as «Prescribing prevalence per year» for tocilizumab, olokizumab, levilimab, sarilumab, kanakinumab, anakinra, baricitinib, tofacitinib and upadacitinib.Results and discussion. The growth of total sales volumes was demonstrated in all market segments, but mostly in the segment of regional purchases, primarily related to the purchase of these groups of medicines for COVID-19 therapy in the period 2020–2021. It was demonstrated that the increase in the number of cases, accompanied by the expansion of prescribing preventive pathogenetic therapy, led to a twofold increase in the number of new cases of prescribing of janus kinase inhibitors and an increase in this indicator for anti-interleukins by 1.5 times, taking into account the estimated number of patients with moderate and severe COVID-19. The cumulative risk of prescribing these classes of drugs increased proportionally: for JAK inhibitors from 14 to 32%, and for anti-IL drugs from 38 to 69%. Calculations showed that the proportion of people over 18 years of age in the Russian Federation who received at least one dose of janus kinase inhibitors and anti-interleukins increased many times, in 1000 times and 500 times.Conclusions. Taking into account the expansion of the use of these groups of medicines, careful monitoring of information about their safety is required.