If a first biological DMARD is not helpful for patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), switching to a different class will not necessarily make a clinical difference, researchers say.

The study, led by the University of Manchester, UK, analysed data from 1152 patients aged 16 and under who were enrolled in two parallel UK cohort studies recruiting from 2004 to 2019, with biologic switching patterns analysed in patients from 2010.

The team investigated disease characteristics and DMARD therapy at the initiation of a first biologic, at six months, one year and annually thereafter, with a median follow-up of 2.2 years.

They believed this to be the first observational study on the extent and efficacy of multibiologic switching among patients with JIA.