PMU109 IMPACT of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients with Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases Taking a Biologic Therapy

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on the vulnerability of people living with pre-existing immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID) and taking a biologic therapy The present study aims to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the medical consultations, biologic treatment modifications and access to treatment-specific information for IMID patients taking a biologic therapy specifically Methods: This observational, cross-sectional study was conducted online on the Carenity platform from April 2, 2020 to May 26, 2020 It includes adult patients from France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, Germany and the United States living with lupus, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis and taking a biologic therapy Results: 721 IMID patients taking a biologic treatment completed the survey Since the start of the epidemic, 8% of patients stopped taking their biologic therapy and 4% took it less frequently 55% of patients discussed COVID-19 and their biologic therapy with the doctor treating them for their illness Among these patients, only 8% were proactively contacted by their physicians Patients more frequently modified their biologic treatment intake after a discussion with their healthcare professional about COVID-19 and biologics (22% vs 16%, **p<0 05) 74% consulted at least one source in addition to their healthcare professional to learn about biologics in the context of COVID-19 In our study, people who had consulted their doctors and discussed COVID-19 and their biologic were more prone to being confronted with contradictory opinions (32% vs 26%, *p<0 1) Conclusions: Our study highlighted the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the access to treatment-specific information and biologics modifications for IMID patients taking a biologic therapy Several IMID patients discontinued their treatment and only a few discussed COVID-19 and biologics with their doctors, generally not at the doctor’s initiative