Setting and Data Source
fits, RA, rheumatic
DISEASE, PATHOLOGY
This analysis used the multicenter OPAL data set, which includes the EMRs for 216 138 patients with rheumatic conditions treated by 112 rheumatologists across Australia at 43 different clinics since 2004. In Australia, government reimbursement is available for b/tsDMARDs for patients with moderate to severe disease who have not responded to at least 6 months of treatment with csDMARDs, and physicians can prescribe the b/tsDMARD that fits the patient’s clinical need. As such, there are no binding guidelines as to the order in which a b/tsDMARD class can be prescribed. Response to treatment is assessed at 3 months and at 6-month intervals thereafter. Tofacitinib is approved by the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration for use for RA at a dosage of 5 mg twice daily.The deidentified data in the OPAL data set include demographics, disease history, disease activity measures, comorbidities, pathology, medications, patient-reported outcomes, and characteristics of the treating rheumatologist. Data were collected from April 1, 2015, to June 30, 2021. A more detailed description of the data set and a summary of the characteristics of the variables used in this analysis are given in eMethods 2 in 