Long-Term Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Etanercept and Adalimumab for Plaque Psoriasis not Associated with Arthritis

• Published in: Dermatology and therapy 2013-12, Vol.3 (2), p.131-142
• Main Authors: Ruano, Juan, Isla-Tejera, Beatriz, Jiménez-Puya, Rafael, Rodriguez-Martin, Ana, Cárdenas, Manuel, Gómez, Francisco, Vélez, A. Antonio, del Prado-Llergo, José R., Moreno-Giménez, José C.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Dermatology; Internal Medicine; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Original Research; Plastic Surgery; Quality of Life Research
• ISSN: 2193-8210; 2190-9172
• DOI: 10.1007/s13555-013-0030-1

Introduction Pharmacoeconomic studies examining the cost-effectiveness of biological agents to treat moderate-to-severe psoriasis in real-life clinical practice are scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the efficiency, in terms of incremental cost-effectiveness, of etanercept and adalimumab in a real clinical setting. Methods Direct and indirect costs were assessed from a Spanish societal perspective in a historical hospital cohort of patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis attending a tertiary referral hospital over a 1-year period. The data examined included drug-related variables, use of health-care resources, transportation and work productivity losses. Effectiveness was measured as the proportion of patients achieving a reduction of at least 75% with respect to the baseline value for the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI 75) during the first 52 weeks of treatment. Results No statistically significant differences in effectiveness between etanercept ( n  = 135) and adalimumab ( n  = 48) were found (PASI 75 80% vs. 85.7%; RR = 1.07 [0.90, 1.27]; RRA = 5.7 [−8.9, 20.2]; p  = 0.943). There were no significant differences in total cost per patient with etanercept as compared to adalimumab (14,843.73 ± 6,178.98 € vs. 15,405.91 ± 9,106.50 €; p  = 0.768). Conclusion Under conditions of daily clinical practice in our hospital, total health-care costs associated with the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis with etanercept appear to be equivalent to those with adalimumab in the first year of treatment.