For a study, researchers sought to assess real-world psoriatic arthritis (PsA) medication utilization as well as patient drug preferences. From June to September 2020, the cross-sectional study of Classification for Psoriatic Arthritis criteria specified patients with PsA recruited from a single-center PsA registry. Preferences were ranked on a 5-point Likert scale, with “not at all important” being the least important and “very important” being the most essential. About 137 patients (or 29% of the total) responded. PsA skin and joint symptoms had a median duration (years) of 19 (interquartile range, 10–34) and 12 (interquartile range, 8–21), respectively. Anti-tumor necrosis factor α (anti–TNF) (35%), methotrexate (19%), and anti–phosphodiesterase 4 (anti-PDE4) were the most often used first immunomodulatory medicines (12.4% ). Anti-tumor necrosis factor (30%), anti–interleukin 17 (IL-17) (20.4%), and methotrexate were the most often used immunomodulatory treatments at the time of survey delivery (10.2%). Following the publication of updated guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology/National Psoriasis Foundation in 2018, a significantly higher percentage of patients’ first medication was an anti–IL-17 (30% vs 3.5%, P<0.001), a pattern also seen with anti-PDE4 (40% vs 11.5%, P< 0.012). Drug preferences that were rated as “very” significant were avoidance of joint deterioration (80%), capacity to conduct daily activities (71%), pain prevention (70.1%), rheumatologist recommendation (63%), and medication side effects (62% ).
The considerable rise in anti–IL-17 and anti–PDE4 drugs as first-line therapy after 2018 might reflect its inclusion as prospective first-line therapy in revised guidelines, as well as the priority patients place on pharmaceutical side effects.
