Risk-Sharing Agreement Approach to Certolizumab Pegol in Psoriasis Treatment

Effective treatment for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (PsO) is a critical medical need. Certolizumab pegol (CZP), a novel therapeutic option, has shown promise.  A retrospective observational study published in Farmacia Hospitalaria illuminated CZP's real-world effectiveness.

The research focused on adult patients with moderate to severe plaque PsO, collecting data from 10 spanish hospitals where a risk-sharing agreement (RSA) was implemented. The RSA's clinical response target, to be achieved at the week 16 follow-up visit, was set as an absolute Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) value of ≤3 for biologic-naïve patients or ≤5 for those who previously failed a single biologic drug. The study also assessed improvements in various scales, including Body Surface Area (BSA), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Physician's Global Assessment (PGA), and Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI).

Out of 66 patients (12 men and 54 women), 90.9% reached the RSA's clinical response target. The absolute PASI scores dropped by a mean of 8, representing a 78.4% reduction. Additionally, BSA, PGA, NAPSI, and DLQI scores all showed improvements, with absolute value point reductions of 11.3 (-80.6%), 1.9 (-65.5%), 3.3 (-30.7%), and 9.0 (-66.4%), respectively. Notably, only 2 patients (3%) discontinued treatment out of the 6 patients (9%) who did not meet the target.

“Our study shows that CZP is effective in real clinical practice in patients with moderate-severe plaque PsO, with an improvement in absolute PASI and DLQI, as well as other scales, both for the total population and in the subgroups analyzed,” concluded the study authors. “Nearly 91% of patients reached the therapeutic target fixed in the RSA. Implementing this type of agreement can provide a direct or indirect benefit for all the agents involved in the process, providing valuable information for decision-making.”

Reference
Navarro Ruiz A, Toledo Alberola F, Aceituno S; Grupo ARCODERM. Risk-sharing agreement based on health outcomes for the treatment of moderate-severe psoriasis with certolizumab pegol, Farm Hosp. 2023;S1130-6343(23)00123-X. doi:10.1016/j.farma.2023.07.016