Table 3

Serious adverse events and safety of switching under BA treatment

Order of treatment	Adverse event	Duration of treatment until onset of AE, months	Concomitant medication	Severity of event*	Stop of BA treatment	Resolved without sequelae
Etanercept (17 patients; 28.5 patient-years)
1st	Crohn's disease	12	–	H	No	No
1st	Restrictive pulmonary syndrome	19	Cs	H	Yes	No
1st	ANCA-positive glomerulonephritis	34	Cs	H	Yes	No
4th	Varicella infection	4	Cs, MTX	H	Temporarily	Yes
Abatacept (3 patients; 9.6 patient-years)
3rd	Pyelonephritis	1	–	H	Temporarily	Yes
Anakinra (58 patients; 127.7 patient-years)
1st	Macrophage activation syndrome	1	Cs	H	Yes	Yes
1st	Salmonella infection	34	Cs	N	No	Yes
1st	Varicella infection	37	Cs	D	Temporarily	Yes
1st	Varicella infection	20	–	H	Temporarily	Yes
1st	Mycoplasma pneumonia	4	Cs	H	Temporarily	Yes
1st	Pneumonia	21	–	H	Temporarily	Yes
Canakinumab (30 patients; 48.7 patient-years)
1st	CMV infection	23	–	H	No	Yes
1st	Lymphadenitis	20	–	H	No	Yes
1st	Eczema	6	–	D	No	Yes
1st	Vulvitis	25	Cs	D	No	Yes
2nd	Lyme disease	32	Cs	D	Temporarily	Yes
2nd	Gastroenteritis	16	Cs, MTX	H	Temporarily	Yes
2nd	Macrophage activation syndrome	3	Cs	H	Yes	Yes
3rd	CMV infection	5	MTX	N	Temporarily	Yes
4th	Varicella infection	20	Cs, MTX	N	Temporarily	Yes
Tocilizumab (20 patients; 27.9 patient-years)
2nd	Crohn's disease	13	Cs	H	Yes	No
3rd	Toxidermia	5	Cs	H	Yes	Yes
4th	Cutaneous vasculitis	14	–	H	Yes	No
4th	Infusion reaction	0	Cs	H	Yes	Yes

*Severity of event: H=hospitalisation, D=temporary disruption of otherwise executable life functions, N=not clearly specified severity in medical records.
AE, adverse event; ANCA, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies; BA, biological agent; CMV, cytomegalovirus; Cs, corticosteroids; MTX, methotrexate.