INTRODUCTION

Dose escalation and reduction of biologic treatments are frequent in clinical practice. The aim of this systematic review is to summarise evidence on dose adjustment of biologic treatments for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in the real-world.

METHODS

A systematic review of real-world evidence on dose adjustment of biologics for plaque psoriasis was performed. Searches were conducted in BIOSIS Previews, Embase, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, MEDLINE, and SciSearch in March 2020. Real-world studies that reported biologic dose adjustment for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis were included.

RESULTS

The search identified 162 papers, and 20 studies with 30,912 patients were included from 2014 to 2020. More studies reported on dose escalation than dose reduction. For adalimumab, 3-54% of patients had dose reduction while 0-37% had dose escalation. For infliximab, only two studies reported a dose reduction, with rates of 22-29%, while dose escalation rates varied from 14 to 67%. Dose reduction rates of 5-49% were reported for etanercept while 0-55% of patients had doses escalated. For ustekinumab, dose escalation and reduction rates ranged from 3 to 37% and 7 to 42%, respectively. Two studies reported on dose adjustment for secukinumab; in one 52% of patients initiated on 150 mg instead of the recommended 300 mg, while another reported no dose increase.

CONCLUSIONS

Dose adjustment of biologics for psoriasis is common, with escalation more frequently reported than reduction. Dose escalation may have economic and safety consequences, while dose reduction may impact efficacy. These aspects are important to consider when making decisions on treatment dosing.