The Association Between Patient-Reported Disease Burden and Treatment Switching in Patients with Plaque Psoriasis...

This real-world study investigated the impact of patient-reported disease burden and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) on switching from systemic nonbiologic to biologic therapy in patients with plaque psoriasis.

Biologic therapy-naive (biologic-naive) patients aged ≥18 years who were using systemic nonbiologic treatment and who enrolled in the CorEvitas Psoriasis Registry between April 2015 and August 2022 were included. Measures of patient-reported disease burden and HRQoL were collected at Registry enrollment. The primary outcome of interest was initiation of biologic therapy within 45 days of enrollment. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted separately for each patient-reported measure, adjusting for patient, disease, and treatment characteristics, including physician-rated disease severity. Adjusted odds ratios of switching to biologic therapy were estimated for greater versus lesser burden for each measure.

Of 848 included patients, 323 (38.1%) switched to biologic treatment. Greater patient-reported burden was independently associated with switching, with significantly higher adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for greater versus lesser burden as measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (1.55 [1.08-2.23], P=0.017), visual analog scale (VAS) for itch (2.14 [1.49-3.08], P<0.001), VAS for skin pain (2.18 [1.45-3.29], P<0.001), VAS for fatigue (1.66 [1.15-2.40], P=0.007), Patient Global Assessment-VAS (3.09 [1.94-4.91], P<0.001), and with activities impairment on the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire (2.51 [1.72-3.65], P<0.001).

In addition to clinically assessed disease severity, patient-reported disease burden and quality of life may drive the switch to biologic treatment in real-world patients with plaque psoriasis.