Cost comparison of psoriasis treatments.

Background: Knowledge of the cost of various psoriasis therapeutic options is essential to the prescribing clinician.

Objective: To compare the cost of various psoriasis treatments over a 10-year period in the province of Ontario, Canada.

Methods: We used a hypothetical patient with plaque-type psoriasis of moderate severity with a Psoriasis Area and Severity Index of 10, body surface area of 20%, and no joint involvement. The costs to treat this hypothetical patient with different therapeutic regimens were compared in this study.

Results: In a 60 kg patient, alefacept was the most costly form of therapy, based on two 12-week treatments per year, followed by infliximab 5 mg/kg. In a 90 kg patient, infliximab 5 mg/kg was the most costly, followed by alefacept. The least costly treatment was ultraviolet B phototherapy.

Conclusion: With the knowledge of these data, informed prescribing by the dermatologist may reduce the financial burden to the patient, the provincial health care system, and insurance companies.