Patterns of 6-mercaptopurine and azathioprine maintenance therapy among a cohort of commercially insured individuals diagnosed with Crohn's disease in the United States.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Thiopurines, including 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) and azathioprine (AZA), are the mainstay of maintenance therapy for Crohn's disease (CD). However, studies examining their effectiveness in routine practice among diverse patient populations are lacking. Among a cohort of new users of 6MP/AZA, we described treatment patterns and changes in subsequent therapy.

Methods

Using the Truven Health Analytics databases, we identified all individuals diagnosed with CD and initiating 6-MP/AZA monotherapy from 2001-2008 (n=3,657). We estimated the proportion of CD patients remaining on 6-MP/AZA monotherapy, using Kaplan-Meier methods, and identified predictors of treatment noncontinuation, using multivariable Cox regression. Among the "noncontinuers," we described subseq

SUBMITTER: Lund JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3857068 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature