Table 2. Pooled Incidence Rate and RR of Infections (2009-2021), After Propensity Score Decile Stratification.
| Outcome | Ustekinumab vs etanercept | Ustekinumab vs methotrexate | Etanercept vs methotrexate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ustekinumaba | Etanercept | Ustekinumaba | Methotrexate | Etanercept | Methotrexate | |
| Serious infectionb | ||||||
| No. of patients | 379 | 779 | 394 | 1180 | 571 | 1126 |
| No. of person-years | 163 | 352 | 171 | 536 | 257 | 510 |
| No. of events | 3 | 9 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Rate per 1000 person-years | 18.4 | 25.6 | 17.5 | 14.9 | 31.1 | 15.7 |
| RR (95% CI) | 0.72 (0.19 to 2.66) | 1 [Reference] | 1.18 (0.31 to 4.43) | 1 [Reference] | 1.98 (0.74 to 5.29) | 1 [Reference] |
| Rate difference per 1000 person-years (95% CI) | −7.2 (−33.9 to 19.5) | 1 [Reference] | 2.6 (−19.8 to 25.0) | 1 [Reference] | 15.4 (−8.7 to 39.6) | 1 [Reference] |
| Outpatient infectionc | ||||||
| No. of patients | 379 | 779 | 394 | 1180 | 571 | 1126 |
| No. of person-years | 153 | 319 | 161 | 482 | 236 | 459 |
| No. of events | 39 | 139 | 46 | 209 | 97 | 198 |
| Rate per 1000 person-years | 254.9 | 435.7 | 285.7 | 433.6 | 411.0 | 431.4 |
| RR (95% CI) | 0.58 (0.41 to 0.83) | 1 [Reference] | 0.66 (0.48 to 0.91) | 1 [Reference] | 0.95 (0.75 to 1.21) | 1 [Reference] |
| Rate difference per 1000 person-years (95% CI) | −180.8 (−288.8 to −72.9) | 1 [Reference] | −147.9 (−249.3 to −46.5) | 1 [Reference] | −20.4 (−121.9 to 81.1) | 1 [Reference] |
Abbreviation: RR, rate ratio.
a
Included ustekinumab users who contributed to 1 or more pairwise comparisons.
b
Defined as infection requiring an emergency department visit or hospitalization.
c
Defined as an outpatient physician visit for a bacterial or viral infection with a filled prescription for an antibiotic or antiviral agent within 3 days after the diagnosis.