OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to perform a Budget Impact Analysis (BIA) assessing the introduction of Enstilar® for the treatment of psoriasis into the Italian market. Enstilar® is a fixed combination foam (calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate) approved for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris in adult patients. The Standard of Care is Dovobet® Gel, indicated for the topical treatment of mild to moderate psoriasis.

METHODS: BIA compared two different scenarios: Scenario 1 without the fixed combination foam vs. Scenario 2 with the introduction of Enstilar®. Population data were obtained from IMS database and OsMed report 2015. The time horizon was 3 years from the introduction of Enstilar®. Total number of patients was the same for the two Scenarios, because the model allows the switch of patients from current treatments: Dovobet® Gel, mono-component therapies, topical corticosteroids and systemic therapies (DMARDs and Biologics). The perspective of the Italian National Healthcare Service was considered.

RESULTS: The study showed that the introduction of Enstilar®, thanks to its incremental efficacy and shorter therapy cycle compared to other topical agents (4 weeks with Enstilar® compared to 8 weeks with Dovobet® Gel), generates savings for the Italian NHS equal to 4.926.537 €, 5.076.094 € and 6.465.717 € respectively in year 1, 2 and 3 over the total expenditure of 215.254.963 €, 224.089.975 € and 232.924.987 € related to the year 1, 2 and 3 in the first scenario.

CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that the introduction of Enstilar® improves the adherence to the therapy thanks to its rapid onset of action and generates significant savings for the Italian NHS. Indeed, because of its incremental efficacy, Enstilar may reduce or delay the use – sometimes inappropriate – of systemic therapies.