Treatment patterns and costs among biologic-naive patients initiating apremilast or biologics for psoriatic arthritis.

We evaluated treatment patterns and healthcare costs of initiating psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treatment with oral apremilast versus biologics. Claims data identified biologic-naive adults with PsA who initiated either apremilast or a biologic from 2013 to 2016. Medication adherence was similar at 12 months (76.9 vs 73.4%; p = 0.175) between apremilast (n = 381) and matched biologic (n = 761) patients. Apremilast users had $12,715 lower total costs per-patient-per-month (p < 0.001), largely due to outpatient pharmacy and medical costs. Commercially insured patients with PsA initiating apremilast had adherence similar to those initiating biologics but lower total healthcare costs.