OBJECTIVES: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA), a chronic systemic inflammatory disease, is prevalent in an estimated 0.3% to 1.0% of adults. As PsA progresses, patients may switch therapies. This study compared treatment switching and total cost of care among biologic-naive PsA patients who initiated treatment with apremilast or a biologic.

METHODS: Adults with PsA were selected if they had initiated apremilast or biologic therapy from January 1, 2014‒September 30, 2016, and had a minimum 12 months of pre- and post-index continuous enrollment in the Optum Clinformatics™ claims database. Patients initiating apremilast were 1:2 propensity score matched (PSM) to patients initiating biologics. Switch was defined as a claim for a new PsA therapy after initiation of the index medication. Days to switch was defined as the number of days between the index and switch dates. Total direct costs were measured during follow-up by type of service and based on standard prices in the Optum database. T-test, chi-square test, and Wilcoxon rank-sum test were used to evaluate differences.

RESULTS: