FROM THE BRITISH JOURNAL OF DERMATOLOGY
Cyclosporine is more cost effective than prednisolone for treating patients with large pyoderma gangrenosum lesions , based on data from a multicenter, randomized trial published online in the British Journal of Dermatology.
In the STOP-GAP trial, researchers recruited 112 adults with pyoderma gangrenosum and similar baseline demographics. The patients were randomized to receive cyclosporine or prednisolone and were assessed at 6 weeks and 6 months. The researchers also collected quality of life data and cost and resource information.
Healing rates within 6 months were approximately 47% for the cyclosporine and prednisolone groups. Adverse reactions were similar between the two groups at 68% and 66%, respectively.
“Having found no difference for a range of objective and patient-reported outcomes, the trialists concluded that treatment decisions for individual patients should be guided by the different side effect profiles of the two drugs and patient preference,” wrote James M. Mason, MD, of the University of Warwick (England), and his colleagues. Compared with prednisolone, cyclosporine reduced the costs of treatment by 1,100 British pounds, the researchers noted. However, most of that cost savings was seen in patients with lesions of 20 cm2 or greater; the decreased cost for these patients averaged 5,310 British pounds. The cost savings were 1,007 British pounds for patients with lesions less than 20 cm2 (Br J Dermatol. 2017. doi: 10.1111/bjd.15561 ). “These differences were driven by the pattern of hospitalization, which predominantly occurred in patients receiving prednisolone and may be linked to the occurrence of serious adverse events,” the researchers wrote.
Quality of life was assessed using the EuroQol questionnaire and the Dermatology Life Quality Index.
No significant differences were noted between the two treatments in terms of quality of life scores, although there was a slight increase in quality of life scores among cyclosporine-treated patients over the 24-week follow-up period.
The findings were limited by incomplete data and the use of a base case analysis to complete the gaps, the researchers said. However, the results suggest that cyclosporine may be a cost-effective strategy for patients with larger lesions; no clear advantage was seen for cyclosporine vs. prednisolone treatment in patients with smaller lesions.
The study was supported in part by a grant from the National Institute for Health Research. The researchers had no financial conflicts to disclose.
