Comparing the risk of adverse events across different classes of biologics and comparable safety and efficacy of biosimilars versus originator biologics in inflammatory arthritis

Our proposed research project aims to answer the overall question: what is the actual risk of infections or cardiovascular events for patients with inflammatory arthritis that take novel arthritis medication (biologics) and how does it compare between different classes of these drugs, in real-world settings? As well as asking if the safety and effectiveness of their new unpatented counterparts (i.e., biosimilars) are comparable to the original biologics? Most of what we know is on earlier or a handful of specific newer drugs or they have only been studied in controlled environments as of now. To solve this problem, we will use “healthcare data” in British Columbia (BC) which contains key anonymized information on prescription drugs and other related information. We will apply state-of-the art statistical methods to these data to study and compare the adverse effects, safety and effectiveness of these medications.

Faculty Supervisor:

Diane Lacaille

Student:

Partner:

Arthritis Research Canada

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Public Service, Policy, and Governance; Pharmaceuticals; Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: