nalysis of Immunogenicity Data in the Product Information of Biological Drugs: A Need to Report Immunogenicity Data Systematically.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this analysis was to evaluate whether the current unsystematic assessment leads to sufficient reporting of immunogenicity-related information in the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPCs) of biological products approved in the European market. METHODS: Immunogenicity-related information was identified and extracted from a group of 72 biological drugs that complied with drug-selection criteria. Afterwards, 12 dichotomous questions were proposed to evaluate whether any issues are being commonly neglected. RESULTS: Most SmPCs (92%) do not have any recommendations on how to report immunogenicity-related adverse drug reactions by patients or healthcare professionals. Furthermore, 80% of SmPCs do not identify the assay used to assess the reported immunogenicity rates, while 81% do not address the possible impact of immunogenicity on their drug's pharmacokinetics. It was also identified that a group factor (i.e. older drugs' SmPCs) could be influencing how/which issues were being addressed by newer drugs' SmPCs. To transform SmPCs into useful tools when an immunogenic response occurs, a proposal on how to report immunogenicity-related information in the SmPCs of biological products is advanced. This decision tree should contribute towards increasing the quality and transparency of the immunogenicity-related information being reported in the SmPCs, thus leading to better informed medical decisions. CONCLUSIONS: Based on these results, an unsystematic assessment does not yield enough reporting across products and thus immunogenicity-related information should be reported in a systematic way. Further guidance about reporting immunogenicity-related information is required, otherwise SmPCs will not be the basis of information for healthcare professionals on how to use a biological product safely and effectively.