Considerations for assessing the cost of biologic agents in the treatment of psoriasis

This paper will establish the rationale for developing a long-term cost model to assess the utilization and associated economics of biologic agents in the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. This information should assist with defining the total cost of drug treatment when using biologic therapy to treat psoriasis.

The development of biologic therapies has effected the treatment of many chronic diseases, including psoriasis. Managed care organizations are debating the appropriate use of these injectable drugs because of the associated acquisition costs and administration requirements. Important considerations for evaluating these agents include the ability to produce off-treatment remissions, the ability to improve patients. quality of life, and safety and tolerability profiles. A remittive therapy may be a good early treatment for these patients because it offers the chance to avoid lifelong therapy. In addition, the safety and tolerability profiles of all biologic agents are substantially improved compared with conventional systemic psoriasis treatments. However, therapy must be individualized because risks vary with each agent. Thus, these differences in the biologic agents should be considered in the assessment of the economic impact and drug utilization of biologics for patients with psoriasis.

The biologic agents currently used in the treatment of psoriasis offer patients new hope for safe and effective therapy. Comparison of these agents by managed care decision makers requires consideration of characteristics that differentiate the agents, including efficacy, duration of off-treatment response, and safety and tolerability.