OBJECTIVES

: To describe the direct costs of patients diagnosed with Ankylosing spondylitis at the Hospital Militar Central who presented therapeutic failure to conventional drugs and entered therapy with biological drugs.

METHODS

: Economic evaluation study, estimation of direct costs of biological therapy in Ankylosing spondylitis. The methodology of costing by procedures and the identification of costing sequence, quantification and valuation of resources was used. With a complementary sensitivity analysis. The costs are presented adjusted in Colombian pesos and US dollars for 2019.

RESULTS

: 117 patients with a diagnosis of Ankylosing spondylitis were included, 63.2% men, age 46.4 ± 13.7 years, disease duration was 9.8 ± 9.6 years. The use of medication was DMARDs 49.6%, NSAIDs 64.1%, anti-TNF 40.2% and anti-IL-17 2.6%. Average annual direct costs / patient was $ 22,637,137 (6,872.2 USD), in the NSAID group $ 1,706,965, DMARDs $ 1,739,077 and biological therapy group $ 36,486,015.

CONCLUSIONS

: The costs related to EA are like those reported in the literature when adjusted for the purchasing power of parity. Understanding this aspect is the starting point to promote a more efficient distribution of the limited resources destined to the management and control of Ankylosing spondylitis .