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Despite treatment, patients with psoriasis continue to experience impaired function, high costs

Researchers found that patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis experience factors such as continued symptoms, work and activity impairment and added cost despite treatment.

“Despite substantial [health care resource use], a proportion of patients continue to experience work and activity impairment, moderate-to-severe [Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI)] scores, and high costs,” Caroline P. Schaefer, MBA, and colleagues wrote in their study. “For patients whose [moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis] is not well-controlled, different treatment options should be explored until better outcomes and patient satisfaction are achieved.”

Schaefer and colleagues enrolled 200 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis from nine dermatologist or physician offices in the United States who reported their symptoms, treatment, costs and loss in productivity. Patients were divided into four groups using PASI scores based on severity of psoriasis symptoms at enrollment. The researchers retrospectively evaluated patient charts at 6 months to capture data on health care resource use and lost productivity.

They found that 79.5% of patients were using at least one psoriasis medication: 36% received biologic therapies that were self-administered and 9% received systemic therapies. Patients used mean 12.3 nonprescription treatments.

The researchers found significant differences among PASI groups in work and activity impairment: 25% of patients in the severe PASI group reported work impairment vs. 19.5% in the moderate PASI group, and activity impairment was similar in both the moderate and severe groups (27.2% vs. 27.1%).

The average 6-month total direct costs associated with moderate-to-severe psoriasis were $11,291 per patient and $2,101 for indirect costs, while costs differed among all PASI groups, according to the abstract.

Disclosure: Schaefer is a paid employee of Covance Market Access Services Inc. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.