Costs of Common Psoriasis Medications, 2010-2014.

BACKGROUND

Costs for psoriasis have increased in recent years, in part due to the introduction of biologic agents.

OBJECTIVE

To identify the most common and most costly (from the payer perspective) drugs used in the treatment of psoriasis.

METHODS

We analyzed patient data from a large claims-based database in order to identify the most common and most costly medications used in the treatment of psoriasis from 2010 to 2014.

RESULTS

The three most common psoriasis medications, accounting for 81.1% of all psoriasis medications, were topical corticosteroids. The three most costly drugs, accounting for only 9.6% of all psoriasis medications, were biologics, accounting for 86% of the cost of psoriasis medications.

CONCLUSIONS

Biologic agents are used far less commonly in the treatment of psoriasis than topical treatments. Despite the relatively small number of patients using biologic agents, biologics are responsible for a large proportion of the cost of psoriasis pharmacotherapy.