Orencia (abatacept subcutaneous injection) — Cigna

Initial criteria

• Patient is age ≥ 2 years
• Patient has tried one other agent for JIA (e.g., methotrexate, sulfasalazine, leflunomide, NSAID) OR will start therapy concurrently with methotrexate, sulfasalazine, or leflunomide OR has an absolute contraindication to these agents OR has aggressive disease as determined by the prescriber
• Medication is prescribed by or in consultation with a rheumatologist

Reauthorization criteria

• Patient has been established on therapy for at least 6 months
• When assessed by at least one objective measure, patient experienced a beneficial clinical response from baseline OR improvement in at least one symptom (e.g., improved motion, less joint pain, decreased morning stiffness, improved function)

Approval duration

initial 6 months; reauth 1 year