Treatment patterns and economic burden of biologics in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis

XU Xiao-yang; HE Xiao-ning; WU Jing

doi:10.20251/j.cnki.1003-3734.2026.06.013

Abstract：Objective:To evaluate the real-world treatment patterns and economic burden among patients with moderate to severe psoriasis treated with biologics in China.Methods:Adult psoriasis patients who initiated biologics between 2019 and 2023 were identified from the hospital information system database of tertiary hospitals and secondary hospitals in Tianjin.Biologics treatment patterns were assessed by persistence,adherence,swithching and trends in the selection of different lines of biological agents over time,and the economic burden of patients was assessed.Results:A total of 1 646 patients were included,with a mean age of(43.7±14.0)years,and male patients accounted for a larger proportion(67.0%).The proportion of patients who continuously used biologics in the first year of follow-up was 33.1%,with a proportion of days covered by prescriptions of(0.4±0.3).Only 3.0%of patients switched to second-line biologics.In 2020 and 2021,adalimumab and secukinumab were the primary first-line treatment drugs,with usage rates of 79.0%and 91.1%,respectively.92.8%of patients had outpatient visits related to psoriasis,with an average of(7.4±5.1)visits per year.The annual direct medical costs associated with psoriasis were(19 506±12 877)Yuan,with medication costs comprising the largest portion(83.2%,16 223 Yuan).Conclusion:Patients with moderate to severe psoriasis exhibited poor adherence in taking biologics,with a low proportion switching biologics,medication costs represented the primary economic burden for patients.Biologics adherence among patients should be further improved,and treatment strategies need to be optimized to achieve the goal of long-term stable control of psoriasis.