Modeling the optimal sequence of biologic therapies in plaque psoriasis in Spain

The purpose of this manuscript was to illustrate the impact of the place in the treatment sequence on the cost and cost-effectiveness of different biologics for patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

We developed a treatment sequence model and focused on seven different biological treatment options and 840 combinations of treatment sequences. The model converted cost of treatment to a cost per responder by dividing treatment cost by expected number of patients achieving PASI100 after 52 weeks of treatment. We used Spanish ex-factory price levels, dosing recommendations and real-world data on drug survival to calculate the treatment costs.

The most cost-effective treatment sequence was brodalumab-risankizumab-guselkumab-ixekizumab, with a cost per responder of €139,281 during the first five years of treatment. In comparison, if brodalumab was not recommended as first-line therapy, total costs would increase by 7.4% to €149,616. If brodalumab was not recommended as any of the first four lines of treatment, total costs would increase by 13.1% to €157,527 relative to the most cost-effective treatment sequence.

A sequential therapy model may improve efficiency in the treatment of psoriasis. According to our results, brodalumab as the first-line therapy in Spain leads to the most cost-effective treatment sequence.