15017 Monoclonal antibody use in rheumatoid arthritis: an evaluation of medical expenditure

ABSTRACT IMPACT: Younger patients receiving biologics for rheumatoid arthritis have higher medical expenditure. OBJECTIVES/GOALS: TNF inhibiting biologic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs are among the most highly regarded treatment options for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We aimed at evaluating the medical and prescription costs associated with monoclonal antibody use vs. other RA treatment options in subjects diagnosed with RA. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Records from the Medical Panels Expenditure Survey (MEPS) database made available by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality were used to identify all RA subjects (n=_____). Demographics and MEPS-provided flags for RA were abstracted from the medical condition files for all the subjects surveyed (2008-2018). Prescribed biologics were identified based on generic and brand names following a manual review to detect any misspellings. Total medical expenses and prescription expenses were abstracted for all identified RA subjects. Subject were surveyed for two consecutive years, thus expenses were assessed for each of the two surveyed years. Costs were adjusted for inflation and expressed in 2018 dollars. The relationship between biologics use, cost and age or gender was evaluated by Fisher’s exact test. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Most RA subjects did not use biologics. RA was more prevalent in women than in men with no significant correlation between sex and the use of biologics in year 1, year 2, or the combined years (p=.44, p=.63, and p=.65, respectively). Biologics users were found to be significantly younger (p