Combination Cal/BD Foam Increases Work Productivity in Patients With Psoriasis

Among employed and unemployed people with psoriasis, treatment with fixed-dose combination calcipotriol 50 µg/g/betamethasone dipropionate 0.5 mg/g (Cal/BD) topical foam improves work and study productivity slowed by the disease, according to research results published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Researchers conducted a post-hoc analysis of the PSO-LONG trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02899962)—a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, parallel group, international multi-center trial of 521 participants aged 18 years or older, employed and unemployed, and enrolled at 56 sites in the US, Canada, Germany, Poland, United Kingdom, and France. The cohort was 67.4% men and 90.2% White, with a mean 52.3±14.4 years of age; 85.2% presented with moderate psoriasis based on PGA and affected BSA (mean 8.2%±6.2%) of whom 47.2% completed the trial.

The trial, completed in June, 2019, began with a 4-week, once-daily treatment with Cal/BD and only those who responded to this treatment continued to the 52-week double-blind portion of the study in which  256 patients in the proactive cohort received twice weekly Cal/BD, and 261 patients in the reactive cohort received twice weekly vehicle foam. Disease relapse (PGA≥2) of any participant resulted in rescue treatment of once-daily Cal/BD foam for 4 weeks. Those patients who did not respond to this treatment did not move forward in the trial.

Among the remaining 47.2% of the participants, work and impaired activity as a direct result of psoriasis were subsequently assessed at baseline, week 4, week 28 and week 56 by the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Psoriasis (WPAI:PSO) questionnaire.

The original study investigated patients affected at work or in studying and the current study used data that included both sets of participants to determine that at week 56, -22.2% of participants relative to the baseline reported that their psoriasis prevented them from working or studying which analysis showed was not statistically significant. Of those participants not prevented from working or studying, -76.9% experienced “some impact.” Statistical analysis estimated cost savings due to “improvement in hours of work productivity.”

Study limitations included selection bias and utilizing incorrect assumptions about employment for statistical analysis.

Researchers concluded, “Fixed-dose combination Cal/BD foam used for long-term management of psoriasis significantly reduces psoriasis-related work productivity and activity impairment which may result in substantial indirect cost savings.”

Disclosure: Several study authors declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, and/or device companies. Please see the original reference for a full list of authors’ disclosures.

Reference

Guenther L, Takhar A, Megna M, et al. Impact of fixed-dose combination Cal/BD foam on the work productivity of patients with psoriasis: Results from the 52-week randomized, double-blind, PSO-LONG trial. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. Published online March 16, 2022. doi:10.1111/jdv.18053