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JointHealth™ express   October 13, 2023

Reminder: Call for patient input on bimekizumab (Bimzelx®) for psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis

The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health (CADTH) is currently welcoming patients and their caregivers to provide input to patient organizations on the manufacturer’s submission for bimekizumab for the treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
To help them make their recommendations, CADTH accepts input from patient organizations and groups, like Arthritis Consumer Experts (ACE). Because patient input is vitally important to government decision-making about medications, we would like to gather your views and share them with CADTH.

These are the questions they are asking:

  1. Disease experience: How does psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis impact patients’ and caregivers’ day-to-day life and quality of life? Are there any aspects of PsA or AS that are more important to control than others?
  2. Experiences with currently available treatments: How well are patients and caregivers managing their psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis with currently available treatments? Examples of the types of information to be included in the answer are:
    • What therapy are patients currently using for PsA or AS?
    • How effective are current therapies in controlling common aspects of PsA or AS? What benefits have patients’ experienced?
    • What side effects have been experienced? Are there adverse effects that are more difficult to tolerate than others?
    • Are there any difficulties accessing current therapy (cost, travel to clinic, time off work)?
    • Are there any difficulties receiving the treatment (swallowing pills, infusion lines)?
    • How do current treatments impact caregivers' daily routine or lifestyle?
  3. Improved outcomes: What improvements would patients and caregivers like to see in a new treatment such as bimekizumab that is not achieved in currently available treatments?
    • How might daily life and quality of life for patients, caregivers, and families be different if bimekizumab provided those desired improvements?
    • What trade-offs do patients, families, and caregivers consider when choosing therapy? For example, would patients be willing to experience serious adverse effects with bimekizumab if they experienced other benefits from the medication?
  4. Experiences with bimekizumab: What experiences have patients had to date with bimekizumab as part of a clinical trial or through a manufacturer's compassionate supply?
    • Compared to any previous therapies’ patients have used, what benefits have been experienced with bimekizumab?
    • What disadvantages have been experienced?
    • How have the benefits and disadvantages of bimekizumab impacted the lives of patients, caregivers, and families?
    • Is bimekizumab easier to use than previous therapies? If so, how?
    • Has bimekizumab caused adverse effects? Which adverse effects are acceptable (i.e. can be tolerated) and which ones are not?
If you live with psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis or care for someone with psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis, please send us your input by October 16, 2023. Your input will be anonymous.

Please contact us at feedback@jointhealth.org to provide your input or arrange for a phone interview at 604-974-1366.