Biosimilars for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Chronic Plaque Psoriasis

Abstract

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting over 60 million adults and children worldwide and can occur at any age, from childhood to adulthood. If the patient has a diffuse form of psoriasis, affecting more than ten percent of the body surface, or involving sensitive areas such as the face, scalp, nails, and/or palmoplantar region, he or she is a candidate for systemic therapy. Currently, several drugs are approved for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis in Europe and US. These are classified into conventional systemics, biologics, and small molecules. These immunomodulatory agents are available in different forms of administration, such as oral, subcutaneous, and intravenous. Novel treatments, including biologics and small molecules, can provide reliable disease control with a good safety profile even in the long term and have greatly improved the quality of life for many patients. Nevertheless, biologics can be expensive, placing a significant burden on national healthcare systems and creating a barrier to access for patients in need of these life-changing therapies. A biosimilar drug is a biologic medical product that is highly similar to an already approved reference biologic drug (also known as the originator). Biosimilars have no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety, purity, and efficacy compared to the reference product. Biosimilar drugs have been on the market-and therefore in clinical practice-for several years now, helping to overcome these challenges. Biosimilars have the potential to improve access to biologic therapies for psoriasis while reducing healthcare costs. The aim of this narrative review is to describe biosimilars and the potential cost-saving benefits their use can offer. In this review, we will discuss adalimumab, infliximab, etanercept, and ustekinumab, as well as their corresponding biosimilars.

Keywords: biologics; biosimilars; cost; originator; psoriasis.

Figure 1

35 years old male with diffuse psoriasis on the back before (A) and three months after (B) therapy with adalimumab biosimilar.