22 Mar Apremilast -Otezla -May Be Cost Effective For Psoriasis Treatment

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor of Dermatology
Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Winston-Salem, NC

Medical Research: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings?

Response: Results show that introducing apremilast into the treatment pathway prior to biologics is cost-saving and confers a cost and quality of life benefit. Over 10 years, apremilast was estimated to provide an additional 0.74 years (5.00 vs. 4.26 years) in which patients achieved a 75% reduction from baseline in PASI score, compared to a pathway of biologics only. It was also found to be less costly, mainly due to less time spent on more expensive biologic therapy (costs reduced by $9,072.39 over 10 years).

Medical Research: What should clinicians and patients take away from your report?

Response: Plaque psoriasis is a chronic disease for which there is no cure and patients may require multiple therapies throughout their lifetime. Apremilast is a therapy with a different risk/benefit profile compared to existing biologics, and for patients for whom it is considered appropriate, is a valuable option.

Medical Research: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: While the main assumptions of the economic evaluation were based on clinical trial data, it would be useful to obtain real world data on the effectiveness and persistence of apremilas

Citation:

American Academy of Dermatology March 2015

Economic Evaluation of Apremilast in the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Psoriasis in the United States
Authors: Tom Tencer, Zoe Clancy, Sandrine Cure, Vidya Damera, Steven Feldman, Frank Zhang

MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D. (2015). Apremilast -Otezla -May Be Cost Effective For Psoriasis Treatment 

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Last Updated on March 26, 2015 by Marie Benz MD FAAD