The economic burden of psoriasis: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Costs associated with psoriasis present a considerable economic burden. A previously published review was lacking comprehensive data on biologics. Therefore, a systematic literature review was performed to gain a comprehensive understanding of the economic burden of psoriasis throughout the world. Studies published in the English language between January 2001 and May 2013 reporting the direct and indirect economic burden of psoriasis were identified from PubMed and conference proceedings. Thirty-five studies from 11 countries met the inclusion criteria. In 2004, the annual total cost (direct and indirect) in the USA alone was approximately US$1.40 billion. Among the European countries, the most recent studies reported an annual total cost per patient of €11,928 in Sweden, €8372 in Italy, €2866–6707 in Germany and CDN$7999 in Canada, based on treatment type. Costs associated with psoriasis are high in many countries, indicating a continued need for treatments that offer good value for money.

Keywords::

• cost of illness
• economic burden
• healthcare costs
• • psoriasis
• systematic literature review

Disclaimer

All authors contributed toward the entire content of this manuscript. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of any organization or sponsor.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This study was funded by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. Market Access Solutions LLC was contracted to conduct and publish the systematic literature review. S Feldman is a consultant for Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. C Burudpakdee, S Gala and M Nanavaty are employees of Market Access Solutions LLC. U Mallya was a former employee and stockholder of Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Key issues

• Psoriasis is a common, chronic, inflammatory disease affecting 2–3% of the world population.

• Psoriasis poses a significant economic burden because lifelong care is often required.

• Healthcare costs associated with psoriasis are comparable to other costly conditions such as pancreatic cancer, melanoma, prostate cancer and asthma.

• Major contributors to direct costs included medication costs, office visits, hospitalization costs and monitoring costs, while productivity loss, patient and caregiver work days lost, and restricted activity days were key drivers of indirect costs.