Table 2.

Rates of discontinuation of first and second biologics

	First biologic						Second biologic
	N	Number of discontinuations (n)	Annual rate of discontinuation (95% CI)	Survival time (years)			N	Number of discontinuations (n)	Annual rate of discontinuation (95% CI)	Survival time (years)
				25%	50%	75%				25%	50%	75%
All biologics	2281	1100	0.17 (0.16 to 0.18)	1.08	4.08	10.42	1097	537	0.20 (0.18 to 0.22)	1	3.33	9.92
All biologics (onset <2005)	1757 (77%)	888	0.16 (0.15 to 0.18)	1.25	4.33	10.50	577 (53%)	301	0.16 (0.14 to 0.18)	1.17	4.42	12
All biologics (onset ≥2005)	524 (23%)	212	0.25 (0.22 to 0.29)	0.67	3.08	.	520 (47%)	236	0.31 (0.27 to 0.35)	0.74	2.08	.
TNF-inhibitors	2225 (97.5%)	1069	0.17 (0.16 to 0.18)	1.17	4.08	10.42	988 (90%)	481	0.19 (0.17 to 0.21)	1	3.58	10.08
Non-TNF inhibitors	56 (2.5%)	31	0.46 (0.33 to 0.66)	0.66	1.66	3.32	109 (10%)	56	0.38 (0.30 to 0.50)	0.67	1.57	3.67
Injectable biologics	1352 (59%)	611	0.16 (0.15 to 0.17)	1.17	4.5	.	561 (51%)	266	0.20 (0.18 to 0.22)	1	3.17	12
Infused biologics	929 (41%)	489	0.20 (0.18 to 0.21)	1	3.33	8.75	536 (49%)	271	0.20 (0.18 to 0.23)	1	3.42	9.5
Etanercept	1018 (45%)	467	0.15 (0.14 to 0.16)	1.42	4.75	.	315 (29%)	146	0.16 (0.14 to 0.19)	1.42	4.58	12
Infliximab	873 (38%)	458	0.19 (0.17 to 0.21)	1.08	3.58	9	427 (39%)	215	0.18 (0.16 to 0.20)	1.08	4	10.08
Adalimumab	310 (14%)	139	0.20 (0.17 to 0.23)	0.83	3.58	.	218 (20%)	112	0.26 (0.22 to 0.32)	0.75	2.33	7.08
Abatacept	28 (1%)	13	0.41 (0.24 to 0.70)	0.5	1.5	.	61 (6%)	31	0.37 (0.26 to 0.53)	0.67	2.08	3.67
Rituximab	25 (1%)	15	0.48 (0.29 to 0.79)	0.66	1.74	3.32	42 (4%)	24	0.40 (0.27 to 0.60)	0.66	1.41	.
Tocilizumab	3 (0%)	3					6 (1%)	1
Certolizumab pegol	16 (1%)	3					17 (2%)	5
Golimumab	8 (0%)	2					11 (1%)	3

TNF, tumour-necrosis factor.