Australian UCB publications in immunology helping to advance medical and scientific breakthroughs
A multicentre observational study comparing patient reported outcomes to assess reliability of swollen and tender joint assessments and response to certolizumab treatment as compared to clinician assessments in rheumatoid arthritis
Inderjeeth, CA et al. Rheum Dis 2019;22(1):73–80.
This study investigated the reliability of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for assessing swollen joint counts (SJC) and tender joint counts (TJC) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) compared to trained professionals. The PROs were measured using both electronic (ePRO) and paper-based (pPRO) assessments at baseline, 6 weeks, and 12 weeks by patients and healthcare professionals. A total of 341 matched joint assessments were analysed from 52 patients with RA, using the Least Squares Method (LSM), Pearson correlation (R), and weighted Kappa scores to measure inter-rater reliability and agreement of responses. The correlation results of TJC scores were as follows: patients and nurses R = 0.83 (p<0.001), physicians and nurses R = 0.85 (p<0.001), and patients and physicians R = 0.59 (p=0.005). Correlation of SJC scores were as follows: patient-nurse R = 0.69 (p=0.005) physician-nurse R = 0.66 (p<0.001), and patient-physician R = 0.42 (p=0.058). The weighted Kappa for inter-rater reliability between patient-nurse pairs was 0.59 (0.53, 0.68) for TJC and 0.48 (0.41, 0.55) for SJC, indicating moderate to high agreement. The findings suggest that patient-reported assessments may be a viable tool in assessing joints and response in RA. Further studies on integrating PROs into RA activity measures, such as the Disease Activity Score of 28 joints, are recommended.
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Usability of the certolizumab pegol auto-injection device in Australian patients with chronic rheumatic diseases: Results from a market research study
Aw, J et al. Patient Prefer Adherence 2021;15:1469–1476.
The aim of this study was to determine the usability of the ergonomically designed certolizumab pegol pre-filled pen (CZP PFP) in Australian patients living with active ankylosing spondylitis, active psoriatic arthritis, or moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis. CZP-naive patients from six Australian clinical centres were recruited between November 2018 and May 2019. Patients self-administered at least one injection during three visits, completing pre- and post-injection surveys and reviewing training materials alongside healthcare professionals (HCPs). Seventy patients participated, 65 of whom completed all 3 visits, with 33 having prior experience with biologics. All patients found the training materials informative, and 94% reported them easy to understand. Before administration, 89% of patients experienced little to no anxiety about the injection, and 67% were very confident about self-injecting the correct dose with the CZP PFP, a figure that rose to 79% among biologic-experienced patients. Post-injection, 90% were satisfied/very satisfied with their first experience using the CZP PFP. Satisfaction was lower among those with pre-injection anxiety (43% vs 79% “very satisfied”). Confidence and satisfaction increased with repeated use, with 71% of patients feeling “very satisfied” at the third visit. All HCPs were confident in patients’ ability to self-inject. The findings suggest that the CZP PFP’s patient-centred design fosters high confidence and satisfaction, which may improve adherence and treatment outcomes in patients with chronic rheumatic diseases.
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Management of psoriasis in women 18 to 45 years of age in Australia and Japan: insights from patient and dermatologist surveys
Yamaguchi, Y et al. Int J Womens Dermatol 2025;11(1):e189.
This study explored treatment challenges that may be experienced by women of childbearing age (WoCBA) diagnosed with moderate to severe psoriasis (PSO) in Australia and Japan, particularly those considering pregnancy, who are pregnant, or who have recently given birth. Online surveys were conducted with WoCBA aged 18–45 years who had been pregnant within the past five years and had moderate to severe PSO, as well as dermatologists from both countries. The results revealed that most women in the study (Japan: n=24/31; Australia: n=18/27) did not feel adequately informed about pregnancy planning and had concerns about the safety of using tumour necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) during pregnancy. Similarly, dermatologists (Japan: n=97; Australia: n=40) shared safety concerns around prescribing these treatments during pregnancy, with most (>50%) feeling impartial or uncomfortable with prescribing TNFi to women who were pregnant or actively planning pregnancy. Dermatologists indicated that having more robust safety data, which includes pregnancy, lactation, and paediatric outcomes five years postdelivery, would make them feel more comfortable in prescribing these treatments. The study faced several limitations, including small respondent sizes, a lack of formal questionnaire validation, recall bias, and generalisability of results to all WoCBA with PSO. Additionally, response rates of survey participants were not collected, further limiting the interpretation of results. Overall, the findings of this study underscore a significant need for additional safety information to help address concerns about the use of biologics in WoCBA, helping dermatologists and patients to make informed decisions about PSO management during pregnancy and related life stages.
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AU-OT-2400039. July 2025.