Jörg Mahlich1,2, Aranzazu Alba3, Laila El Hadad3, Marie-Kristin Leisten4, Wiebke K Peitsch5. 1. Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Janssen-Cilag, Neuss, Germany. joerg.mahlich@gmail.com. 2. Düsseldorf Institute for Competition Economics (DICE), University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany. joerg.mahlich@gmail.com. 3. Team Gesundheit, Essen, Germany. 4. Health Economics and Outcomes Research, Janssen-Cilag, Neuss, Germany. 5. Klinik für Dermatologie und Phlebologie, Vivantes Klinikum im Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Our aim was to study drug survival and associated costs of biologic treatment in a German real-world cohort of biologic-naïve psoriasis patients. METHODS: We utilized a German claims database base with 3,682,561 enrolled patients between 2001 and 2015. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to show the persistence of different biologics. To determine factors that influence persistence, a Cox regression analysis was performed. In addition, associated costs were calculated 12 months before and after treatment start with biologics. RESULTS: Among 75,561 patients with a diagnosis of psoriasis, we identified 347 patients who received a biologic; 176 of them were biologic-naïve prior to initiating therapy. Overall, the 1-year persistence rate was 56%. The highest persistence rate was observed for ustekinumab (80%). Younger patients, and those with a high comorbidity index, had a numerically increased risk of treatment discontinuation. However, parameter values were not statistically significant. While the overall costs after treatment start increased due to the acquisition costs of biologics, we found a strong decrease (- 41%) in sick leave after treatment with biologics had been initiated. CONCLUSION: Observed drug survival rates in this real-world setting were relatively low. In line with previous studies, ustekinumab had a higher persistence rate than other biologics. FUNDING: Janssen-Cilag.
INTRODUCTION: Our aim was to study drug survival and associated costs of biologic treatment in a German real-world cohort of biologic-naïve psoriasispatients. METHODS: We utilized a German claims database base with 3,682,561 enrolled patients between 2001 and 2015. Kaplan-Meier curves were plotted to show the persistence of different biologics. To determine factors that influence persistence, a Cox regression analysis was performed. In addition, associated costs were calculated 12 months before and after treatment start with biologics. RESULTS: Among 75,561 patients with a diagnosis of psoriasis, we identified 347 patients who received a biologic; 176 of them were biologic-naïve prior to initiating therapy. Overall, the 1-year persistence rate was 56%. The highest persistence rate was observed for ustekinumab (80%). Younger patients, and those with a high comorbidity index, had a numerically increased risk of treatment discontinuation. However, parameter values were not statistically significant. While the overall costs after treatment start increased due to the acquisition costs of biologics, we found a strong decrease (- 41%) in sick leave after treatment with biologics had been initiated. CONCLUSION: Observed drug survival rates in this real-world setting were relatively low. In line with previous studies, ustekinumab had a higher persistence rate than other biologics. FUNDING: Janssen-Cilag.