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Abstract
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin that has a major effect on an individual's physical and mental function. The disease is associated with increased healthcare resource use and costs, therefore cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) can be used to assist decision makers with determining which treatments are optimal within a constrained healthcare system budget. The authors' aim was to systematically review the current literature on the CEA of existing treatment options for psoriasis, assess the quality of these studies, and summarize the evidence on the drivers of cost effectiveness. They evaluated study quality in terms of the study perspective, effectiveness measures, cost measures, economic model, and time horizon. Results showed that the main key drivers of cost effectiveness were the costs related to the treatment, values and choice of efficacy, utility values, hospitalization for non-responders, time horizon, model structure, and utility mapping method. In conclusion, to improve study quality, future research should provide evidence on the long-term experience with psoriasis treatments, and resolve the uncertainty associated with key drivers of cost effectiveness.