The treatment of plaque psoriasis is changing because of the introduction of new treatment options. The goal of this article is to allow a transparent and rational choice of medicines by means of the System of Objectified Judgement Analysis. The following selection criteria (relative weight) were applied: approved indications (40), drug interactions (60), clinical efficacy (400), safety (300), dosage frequency (100) and documentation (100). Acquisition cost was not taken into consideration to allow a preselection on quality aspects only. Adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab and ustekinumab were compared on these criteria. Infliximab and ustekinumab showed the highest scores and are the most suitable medicines for the treatment of severe plaque psoriasis. Of course, cost will play a key role in the final selection in individual hospitals.
Weight
Approved indications 40
Drug Interactions 60Clinical efficacy 400Safety 300Dosage frequency 100 Documentation 100Total 1000 Selection Criteria
Approved IndicationsThe number of licensed indications is a good measure of the applicability and documentation of the drugs. Although this analysis is limited to the treatment of plaque psoriasis, the fact that a drug is approved for (almost) all indications listed below is, from a formulary point of view, advantageous to another drug, which is approved for only one or two applications.The percentage of the maximum score for approved indications was obtained as follows (Table 2):
IndicationMaximum Score (%)Plaque psoriasis 50%
Psoriatric arthritis 20%Rheumatoid arthritis 10%
Spondylitis ankylopoetica 10%Inflammatory bowel disease 10%
Drug interactionsInteractions play a role only in patients who use other drugs which may interact with biologicals. However, it is a relevant criterion from a formulary point of view.The score for each drug was dependent on the frequency and severity of observed drug interactions.
Clinical efficacyClinical efficacy is always a very important selection criterion for any group of drugs. The score for each drug was derived from the results of double-blind comparative studies.
SafetyThe extent and the severity of adverse effects is another important selection criterion for drugs. A distinction was made between "minor" side effects, such as gastrointestinal disturbances or skin reactions, occurring in clinical trials and severe or even life-threatening adverse reactions observed with large scale use of the drugs. The evaluation of the "minor" adverse effects was based on results of double blind comparative clinical studies.
