Estimating the indirect costs associated with psoriasis

Abstract

Background. The assessment of indirect economic costs associated with psoriasis is relevant due to the poor knowledge of the impact of the disease on key performance indicators, as well as the question of how the expansion of the pool of patients receiving genetically engineered biological drugs affects the indirect costs associated with the disease.
 Aim. Evaluation of the indirect economic burden of psoriasis associated with missed work time and reduced performance in the actual presence at the workplace, as well as an assessment of the impact of changing the structure of therapy on indirect costs.
 Material and methods. To calculate the indirect economic burden of psoriasis using the human capital method, two approaches were used: through an assessment of the impact on gross domestic product and through the use of the market value of working hours. A Bayesian network meta-analysis was performed to assess the impact of genetically engineered biologics on the indirect economic costs associated with psoriasis. Systematic search and selection of studies for network meta-analysis was performed using several databases (clinicaltrials.gov, Eu Clinical Trials, Pubmed, WHO ICTRP, medRxiv). Studies in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis treated with any genetically engineered biological drug were included.
 Results. Indirect economic losses calculated through the assessment of the impact on the gross domestic product amounted to 10.2 billion rubles per year, and through the application of the market value of working time 17.9 billion rubles per year per 100,000 patients with psoriasis in 2018 in Russian Federation. The genetically engineered biological drugs prescription can lead to a reduction in the annual indirect economic burden by 4.9 billion rubles and 8.6 billion rubles per 100,000 economically active patients with moderate and severe psoriasis, calculated through the assessment of the impact on the gross domestic product and through the application of the market value of working hours, respectively.
 Conclusion. A decrease in the work productivity of patients with psoriasis leads to significant indirect costs, while an increase in the proportion of patients receiving genetically engineered biological drugs leads to a decrease in the indirect economic burden on the state and society as a whole.