The IMPACT of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Prescription Drug Use in Patients with Psoriasis Vulgaris in Germany.
Dermatol Ther (Heidelb)
; 13(11): 2609-2620, 2023 Nov.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-37710077
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Real-world evidence (RWE) data is increasingly important to generate rapid insights to effectively manage patient populations. Disruptions like the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may negatively impact the choice of medications used for managing chronic diseases such as psoriasis (PSO). Here, we explored the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sales volumes of treatment guideline-based PSO medication in Germany.METHODS:
Patient-level pharmacy dispensing data from the Permea platform, covering approximately 44% of all community pharmacy dispensing in Germany, were analysed from 2019 through to 2021. Patient demographics and PSO indicated medication sales were assessed specifically before and during the pandemic in Germany.RESULTS:
We included 6,865,852 sold PSO related drugs from April 2019 to March 2021. Medication sales increased during the pandemic compared with before the pandemic for treatment classes of first-line biological and second-line drugs. The increase was observed across all age groups, but monthly variations could not be detected. Furthermore, we observed increased sales in first-line biological and second-line medications when comparing low to high COVID-19 incidence state.CONCLUSION:
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic the PSO indicated medication sales increased for first-line biological and second-line treatment. This shows that despite the pandemic impact, there continues to be an increase in sales volume for biologics. Only German federal states with intermittently very high COVID-19 incidences show a stagnation in sales volume. The reasons for this need to be investigated in further studies to possibly gain a better understanding of the concerns and uncertainties of patients with PSO.
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Tipo de estudio:
Guideline
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Dermatol Ther (Heidelb)
Año:
2023
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Alemania