Investigating the Utilisation and Effectiveness of Originator and Biosimilar Anti-TNF Agents

36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36)

Comparative assessment of disease impact on quality of life in patients receiving originators vs biosimilars. The SF-36 uses 8 sub scales to assess patient vitality, physical functioning, bodily pain, general health perceptions, physical role functioning, emotional role functioning, social role functioning and mental health. Each sub scale is scored between 0-100, where lower scores indicate a greater impact on function.

Time frame: 3 years

Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2)

Comparative assessment of disease impact on the emotional health in patients receiving originators vs biosimilars, as measured by the PHQ-2. The PHQ-2 is a two-question survey to screen for depression, and higher scores indicate that the patient experienced depressed mood or anhedonia more frequently over the past two weeks.

Time frame: 3 years

Fatigue assessed by the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) questionnaire

Comparative assessment of fatigue in patients receiving originators vs biosimilars, assessed using the FACIT-fatigue scale. FACIT-fatigue is a questionnaire used to measure fatigue levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. A higher score is associated with a greater level of fatigue.