Fumaric acid esters for the treatment of psoriasis in Germany: characterising patients in routine care

BACKGROUND: Fumaric acid esters (FAE) represent the most widely-used oral systemic treatment for moderate-to-severe psoriasis in Germany. Not licensed outside Germany, little is known about the demographics of patients receiving FAE. PsoBest is a large national patient registry documenting long-term treatment of psoriasis in Germany.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate FAE relative to methotrexate (MTX) in patients from the PsoBest registry.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patient demographics, disease severity at baseline and dosing regimen were reported for patients who initiated treatment with either FAE or MTX between 2007 and 2015.

RESULTS: Overall, 1,409 patients treated with FAE and 877 with MTX were analysed. At baseline, compared with the MTX cohort, patients receiving FAE were younger (45.4 vs. 50.2 years; p≤0.001) and had a lower BMI (28.0 vs. 28.3 kg/m2; p≤0.023) and less nail involvement (45.4% vs. 50.7%; p≤0.013). The MTX cohort reported a greater mean duration of illness at baseline (18.2 years vs. 14.9 years; p≤0.001). In total, 85.6% and 58.5% patients in the FAE and MTX cohorts, respectively, had not received prior systemic therapy. Cardiovascular disease was the most prevalent comorbidity (FAE: 26.7%; MTX: 31.5%; p≤0.014). Health-related quality of life was similar for both cohorts (mean DLQI: 10.8 [FAE]; 10.5 [MTX]; p≤0.079). Mean FAE dose was 165.0 mg at inclusion and 406.4 mg following up-titration.

CONCLUSION: This study contributes to a better understanding of the usual practices of long-term FAE use, which may also lead to improved treatment strategies not only in Germany, but in other countries where FAE may become available in the near future.