Cost-Effectiveness of Psoriasis Biologics Improves With Long-term Use

Staying on a biologic long term may help improve its cost-effectiveness for the treatment of psoriasis, according to study results published in Dermatologic Therapy.

“The efficacy of biologics in psoriasis treatment is clinically proven; however, biologics are expensive,” wrote researchers. “In this study, we assessed the real-world cost-effectiveness of biologics for psoriasis treatment by evaluating the relationship between biologic drug survival and total medical-treatment costs from a pharmacoeconomic viewpoint.”

Researchers reviewed the health records of 135 patients with psoriasis treated with a tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha monoclonal antibody, an interleukin (IL)-17 monoclonal antibody, or an IL23p19 monoclonal antibody at Yamaguchi University Hospital between January 2010 and June 2020.

Monthly costs for medical services, tests, and external preparations required for treatment were significantly higher in the TNF-alpha monoclonal antibody treatment group compared with the other 2 treatment groups, according to study authors. Total medical costs associated with TNF-alpha monoclonal antibody treatment were also significantly higher than those associated with IL-17 monoclonal antibody treatment.

The number of prescriptions for external preparations such as Vitamin D3 and corticosteroids was significantly higher in the long-term drug survival group compared with the short-term group, reported researchers, yet the total monthly cost of medical care was lower in the long-term drug survival group.

Among patients who received a TNF-alpha monoclonal antibody, the proportion of nonsmokers was significantly higher in the long-term group.

“Our study indicated that when costly biologics are used for psoriasis treatment, the maintenance of long-term drug survival and appropriate patient guidance may improve the quality of medical care, thus allowing cost-effective medical care,” concluded researchers.

Reference:
Saisyo A, Yamaguchi M, Kashibe K, et al. Pharmacoeconomic study of biologics for psoriasis treatment based on real-world drug survival. Dermatol Ther. Published online February 11, 2022. doi:10.1111/dth.15375