BIOBADASER is an adverse event registry established in 2001 for active long-term follow-up of safety of biological therapies in rheumatic patients. Data from patients, diagnosis, treatment, and adverse events are recorded.
Four-hundred ninety-six relevant ARR were registered, 19.6 % (496/2531) of all the adverse events communicated and 6.3 % (496/2531) of all the patients registered. The incidence rate per 1000 patients-year with infliximab is 28 cases (95 % CI, 25-31), with etanercept 0.2 (95 % CI, 0.1-0.4), and with adalimumab 0.2 (95 % CI, 0.07-0.7). Treatment was interrupted in more than 50 % of all the ARR and 5 % of all patients were hospitalized. More than 20 % ARR happened after 15 months of treatment; in addition 2 appeared after 5 years of treatment. In delayed reactions the symptoms that most frequently were recorded were rash, fever, malaise, and myalgia.
ARR can appear in any moment of the treatment; they are among the most frequent causes of treatment interruption. Although with less frequency, ARR are also associated with etanercept and adalimumab with symptoms that cannot be identified as such.