Treatment effects

Commonly, clinicians assess treatment effects in terms of improvements in disease severity, for example, if the affected skin area grows smaller and symptoms like pruritus get less upon medication use. While these are undeniably important outcomes, it is necessary to monitor effects also from the patient’s perspective, to weigh the perceived benefits against side effects, and to include outcomes like quality of life. Moreover, understanding patients’ motivations to continue or discontinue certain medications in combination with knowledge on their disease and personal characteristics may facilitate treatment choices, thus improving future patients’ adherence and trust in treatment. You can take a closer look at our studies on treatment effects below.

effects treatment

Ongoing projects:

Background: The most commonly used decision-making tools in psoriasis, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), Physician Global Assessment (PGA) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), do not fully capture the impact of psoriasis on patients’ lives. In contrast, the well-established 5-item World Health Organization Well-being Index (WHO-5) assesses the subjective psychological well-being of patients. Moreover, while drug innovations became available for psoriasis, data on the impact of these therapies on patients’ lives and their closest environment (family, physicians) is limited.

 

Study Objectives:

  • Assess the effect of tildrakizumab, an interleukin-23p19 inhibitor, on the overall well-being of patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis.

  • Evaluate the long-term benefit (24 months) of tildrakizumab on physicians' satisfaction and psoriasis patients' partners' lives.

 

Study Design:

  • Prospective observational

  • Non-interventional 

 

Target Group: adults with moderate-to-severe psoriasis treated with tildrakizumab (n = 500)

 

Sponsor: Almirall S.A.

 

Period: ongoing

Completed projects:

Background: Fumaric acid esters (FAE) are well accepted by German patients and the prescribing physicians. Considering the large number of systemic drugs available for psoriasis, it is important to identify the profiles of patients who (a) choose and (b) persist on Dimethyl fumarate (DMF, a fumaric acid ester) treatment for moderate to severe psoriasis in order to optimize treatment decisions.

 

Study Objectives:

  • Assess patient-relevant benefits of DMF including reductions in itch, feelings of stigmatization and disfigurement.

  • Determine the characteristics of patients with a long-term use of DMF.

 

Study Design:

  • Longitudinal

  • Non-controlled

  • Open-label

  • Non-interventional

  • Observational

 

Target Group: patients with moderate-to-severe plaque-type psoriasis using either Dimethyl fumarate (n = 100) or Methotrexate (n = 50; control group)

 

Sponsor: Almirall S.A.

 

Period: ongoing