Launch and preliminary analysis of Hospital de La Princesa's inter-specialists biological therapies unit

Abstract

We herein describe an inter-specialists unit for the monitoring and management of biological therapies and analyze the utilization of biological agents across specialties and diseases. Protocols and therapeutic objectives, as well as outcomes and protocol deviations, are shared and discussed periodically between specialists. All patients treated at one centre with any biological treatment from January 2000 by rheumatology, gastroenterology, dermatology, or neurology, regardless diagnosis, are identified by Clinical Pharmacy and included in an ongoing database that detects use and outcome. The drugs, survival, and reasons for discontinuation differ significantly across specialties. This approach has helped us recognizing the challenges and size of the problem of sharing expensive medications across specialties, and has served as a starting point to contribute to the better use of these compounds.

Keywords: Biological therapy; Dermatology; Dermatología; Effectiveness; Eficacia; Farmacia; Gastroenterology; Gastroenterología; Neurology; Neurología; Patrones de práctica del médico; Pharmacy; Physician's practice patterns; Protocol; Protocolo; Registries; Registros; Reumatología; Rheumatology; Safety; Seguridad; Terapia biológica.