Treatment persistence of biologics in psoriatic disease

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory disease that significantly affects a patient’s quality of life. Several systemic complications can influence disease progression and response to treatment. Biological therapy is considered the most effective therapeutic option in treating moderate to severe forms of psoriasis. The success of therapy may depend on its persistence, also known as drug survival. The dermatologist needs to be aware of comorbidities and factors that influence the persistence or discontinuation of biological treatment to make appropriate treatment decisions. We have identified several studies on the persistence of biologic therapy or drug survival in patients with psoriasis and summarized some of the most important issues known to date. In several recently published studies, the survival of ustekinumab is better than TNF‐α inhibitors but lower than ixekizumab. Notably, the studies were performed on a limited number of patients and follow-up time. Moreover, secukinumab appears to have a shorter drug survival than other biological agents, especially in patients with biological experience. A real indicator of therapeutic success could be a high quality of life. Female gender and obesity have been consistently highlighted among the predictors of treatment discontinuation, while psoriatic arthritis could be a predictor of persistence and maintenance of biological therapy. We are currently aiming to improve the therapy for patients treated with biological agents to reduce the pressure on the national public health system.