An Economic Analysis of the Impact of Homecare Drug Administration for Biologic Interventions Available for Plaque Psoriasis in the UK

INTRODUCTION: In the UK, biologic interventions for plaque psoriasis can either be administered in a hospital setting or following delivery to a patient’s home. To date, limited research has been undertaken on how the administration route affects the overall treatment costs and the implications for this on UK clinical practice. The objective was to explore the cost implications of different administration routes for plaque psoriasis biologic interventions in the UK. METHODS: A simple economic model was developed to estimate and compare the total cost of drug administration over 2 years for all biologic interventions that have been approved by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence for use in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Administration costs were estimated for two different scenarios: administration in a hospital setting or following home delivery [paid for by the National Health Service (NHS)]. RESULTS: Costs of home delivery and administration in hospital over a 2-year time horizon varied substantially based on the choice of intervention. For home delivery, the lowest cost of £693 occurred with risankizumab, tildrakizumab and ustekinumab, while the highest cost of £3445 occurred with adalimumab, brodalumab, certolizumab and etanercept. For the scenario in which the interventions were administered in a hospital setting the costs ranged from £4224 for ustekinumab to £7463 for brodalumab. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that drug administration costs are meaningful and should be given greater consideration in the selection process of treatments for plaque psoriasis. Additionally, the NHS could save money by paying for drugs to be delivered to a patient’s home, rather than administering them in a hospital setting.