Recent trends in systemic psoriasis treatment costs

Beyer V, Wolverton S

Arch Dermatol. 2010;146(1):46-54. doi: 10.1001/archdermatol.2009.319.

Psoriasis is a prominent condition that impacts the lives of anywhere from 4.5 million to 7.5 million Americans. Treatment for this disease is pertinent and therefore finding a cost effective option is of the utmost importance, especially when the first treatment option was not effective for a patient. Beyer and Wolverton delved into the matter and discovered that the cost of traditional systemic therapy was much lower than the cost of biologics. The article states, “current trends demonstrate that systemic psoriasis therapy costs are increasing at a much higher rate compared with general inflation.” From 2000 to 2008, a 66% increase in costs was evident (range, -24% to +316%).