Objective. The aim of this study was to establish guidelines for the optimization of biologic therapies for health professionals involved in the management of patients with RA, AS and PsA. Methods. Recommendations were established via consensus by a panel of experts in rheumatology and hospital pharmacy, based on analysis of available scientific evidence obtained from four systematic reviews and on the clinical experience of panellists. The Delphi method was used to evaluate these recommendations, both between panellists and among a wider group of rheumatologists. Results. Previous concepts concerning better management of RA, AS and PsA were reviewed and, more specifically, guidelines for the optimization of biologic therapies used to treat these diseases were formulated. Recommendations were made with the aim of establishing a plan for when and how to taper biologic treatment in patients with these diseases. Conclusion. The recommendations established herein aim not only to provide advice on how to improve the risk:benefit ratio and efficiency of such treatments, but also to reduce variability in daily clinical practice in the use of biologic therapies for rheumatic diseases.

Little is known about the association between the pharmacokinetic features of adalimumab (ADL) and disease outcome in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). To assess the association between random serum ADL levels and clinical or biochemical remission with clinical decision making in daily practice according to these levels; and to determine the cutoff value for successful dose reduction in patients with IBD treated with ADL. We conducted a prospective observational study of patients with IBD who received long-term maintenance therapy with ADL. Data were available for 157 serum samples from 87 patients. Serum ADL levels were associated with clinical remission: median 9.2 versus 6.0 μg/mL for patients with Crohn's disease with active disease (P = 0.009) and 14.4 versus 5.2 μg/mL in patients with ulcerative colitis with active disease (P = 0.002). Serum ADL levels were 9.2 μg/mL for patients with a normal C-reactive protein value (<5 mg/L) and 5.2 μg/mL for patients with a high C-reactive protein value (P = 0.002). ADL levels were significantly associated with normal fecal calprotectin value (<80 ng/g) (10.8 versus 7.6 μg/mL, respectively, P = 0.038). Serum ADL levels were significantly associated with successful deintensification, over a 6-month period of clinical follow-up, compared with the group in which doses remained unchanged (area under the curve 0.88; 95% confidence interval, 0.81–0.95; P < 0.001), with a cutoff value for successful deintensification of 12.2 μg/mL. Higher ADA levels were significantly associated with clinical and biochemical remission. Our results, which were obtained under conditions of daily clinical practice, suggest that an ADL cutoff of 12.2 μg/mL could be appropriate for successful dose reduction in patients with IBD treated with ADL.

Canavan disease is a rare autosomal recessive leukodystrophy characterized by abnormal accumulation of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) in brain white matter. Currently, there is no cure for this disease, and management of patients consists mainly of treating symptoms. We describe a 3-month-old girl who was hospitalized for poor head control and decreased muscle tone. A battery of laboratory and genetic (homozygous mutation p.C218X) analysis revealed the presence of Canavan disease. Lithium citrate was initiated at a dosage of 45 mg/kg per day after diagnosis. Periodic controls of thyroid and liver function, and lithium levels in blood showed that this drug was sure and well tolerated. After 1 year of treatment, NAA levels decreased by approximately 20% in the brain region, urinary NAA levels showed a reduction of 80%, and patient improved alertness and visual tracking but continued with no heat support, axial hypotonia, and spastic diplegia. In our patient, the results obtained after drug administration are important with respect to the decrease in NAA and more discreet in clinical improvement. However, given the absence of adverse effects and limited treatment options, lithium citrate may be a good alternative to stop the progression of the disease and improve the quality of life of patients.

Satisfaction measurements attempt to establish patient views regarding health care. In the setting of pharmaceutical care, the measurements of the generically called "h umanistic"variables is scarce, and the number of validated instruments is inadequate. The goal of this study is to present a specifically-developed satisfaction survey regarding outpatient pharmaceutical care units, and to prove its applicability and inner consistency in a HIV-infected patient population on antiretroviral therapy. The survey includes 19 questions within four groups - A. The unit's physical space, location, and organization; B. Dispensation; C. Pharmaceutical consultation, and D. Overall satisfaction with the unit. Each question is scored from 1 to 5. The study was carried out by administering 250 surveys to consecutive patients arriving at the OPCU, Castell6n General Hospital. Responses show a high degree of patient satisfaction with questions posed, with mean values oscillating between 3.0 and 4.8. The highest means corresponded to pharmacist valuation, and the lowest values corresponded to questions within the organizational module. All questions considered, the mean score obtained was 3.96 + 0.95 (median of 4). The survey exhibited high internal reproducibility both for each group and all questions. The satisfaction survey discussed here is an accessible, easy-to-use instrument that may be rapidly completed and used in pharmaceutical care units with outpatients as a measurement of patient satisfaction. The high scores HIV-infected patients assign to questions included in the survey suggest a benefit from standardized pharmaceutical care.

Background: Adherence to disease-modifying drugs (DMDs) is one of the key factors for achieving optimal clinical outcomes. Rebismart^® is an injection device for subcutaneous administration of interferon beta-1a (INF β-1a) that is also able to monitor adherence objectively. The aim of this study was to describe adherence to INF β-1a using the said electronic autoinjection device and to explore the relationship between adherence and relapses in a Spanish cohort. Methods: This is a retrospective observational study in which 110 Spanish patients self-administered INF β-1a subcutaneously using an electronic autoinjection device between June 2010 and June 2015. The primary end point was the percentage of adherence measured by Rebismart^® to subcutaneous INF β-1a injections calculated as number of injections received in time period versus number of injections scheduled in time period. Other variables recorded were demographic and clinical data. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 19.0 software. Results: Median adherence for the total study period was 96.5% (interquartile range [IQR]: 91.1–99.1). Similar values were observed during the first 6 months: 98.7% (IQR: 91.3–100), and the last 6 months: 97.6% (IQR: 91.1–99.8). Median duration of treatment was 979 days (IQR: 613.8–1,266.8). During the entire treatment period, 77.3% of patients were relapse free and mean annualized relapse rate was 0.14 (standard deviation: 0.33). Increased adherence was associated with better clinical outcomes, leading to lower relapse risk (odds ratio: 0.953; 95% confidence interval: 0.912–0.995). Specifically, every percentage unit increase in adherence resulted in a 4.7% decrease in relapse. Conclusion: Patients with multiple sclerosis who self-injected INF β-1a with Rebismart^® had excellent adherence, correlating with a high proportion of relapse-free patients and very low annualized relapse rate.