ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Medical writing support was provided by Prescott Medical Communications Group (Chicago, IL) with financial support from Ortho Dermatologics; Ortho Dermatologics is a division of Bausch Health US, LLC | Presented at Winter Clinical Dermatology Conference 2020 • January 17-22, 2020 • Kohala Coast, HI

SYNOPSIS
 ◾ Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated disease that can 
have frequent exacerbations and remissions1

 ◾ Treatment decisions for psoriasis can be complex, with 
considerations including patient and provider 
preferences, patient goals, psychosocial factors, 
comorbidities, and financial burden2

 ◾ Topicals are considered first-line therapy for mild 
disease3 and are having an increasing role in moderate-
to-severe psoriasis as an integral part of combination 
therapy

METHODS 
 ◾ The National Psoriasis Foundation, on behalf of Ortho 
Dermatologics, deployed an online survey developed by 
Ortho Dermatologics to the patient community through 
the NPF MyStudies e-newsletter

 ◾ The survey was available for approximately 2 months 
starting in the first quarter of 2018 

RESULTS 
 ◾ The survey included a total of 314 respondents, with a 
99.4% completion rate

 ◾ Of the respondents, 86.9% were diagnosed with 
psoriasis >5 years ago (Table 1)

 ◾ Over three-fourths of respondents reporting having the 
following body parts typically affected by plaque 
psoriasis: scalp, arms, and legs (Table 1)

 ◾ Multiple treatments were common in this group, with 
61.6% of patients having used ≥5 treatments or products; 
16.1% had used more than 15 (Table 1)

Treatment of Psoriasis: A Survey on Patient Preference and Satisfaction

FIGURE 1. Previous and Current Treatments 

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

100.0%

87.1%

Topical
Medications

54.0%

15.8%

Phototherapy

41.7%

12.2%

Oral
Medications

38.2%

21.2%

Biologic
Medications

14.2%

8.4%

Other

2.3%
5.5%

I’m not currently
using anything

Previous Treatments
Current Treatments

P
e
rc

e
n
ta

g
e
 o

f 
 P

a
rt

ic
ip

a
n
ts

Questions: What, if anything, have you used in the past to treat your plaque psoriasis (Select all that apply)? 
What, if anything, are you currently using to treat your plaque psoriasis (Select all that apply)?  
A total of 0.6% of respondents replied “Don’t know” for the question on previous treatments.

FIGURE 2. Openness to Trying New Treatments 

Somewhat open
(34.3%)

93.2%
Open to trying
new treatments Very open

(25.2%)

Not very
open (5.2%)

Extremely open
(33.7%)

Not at all
open (1.6%)

Question: How open are you to trying new treatments for your plaque psoriasis? 

FIGURE 3. Satisfaction with Current Psoriasis 
Treatment (A) and Reasons for Lack of Satisfaction (B)

Extremely
(1.9%)

A. Overall Satisfaction with Treatment B. Reasons for Lack of Treatment Satisfaction

Very
(11.7%)

Somewhat
(39.8%)

Not very
(31.1%)

Not at all
(15.5%)

8.9%

4.9%

4.1%

74.8%

5.7%

1.6%

My treatment is not effective enough
I am concerned about side effects
I am concerned about long term safety
My treatment isn’t easy to use
I don’t like how often I need to use my treatment
Other

Questions: Overall, how satisfied are you with your current plaque psoriasis treatment? Which, if any, of the following reasons explains why you 
are not satisfied with your current plaque psoriasis treatment?

FIGURE 4. Respondents That Would Have Continued 
Topical Treatment if it Was Effective (n=92)

I would have 
continued using 

the topical
(54.3%)

I would have 
still started a
systemic or

biologic
(28.3%)

I don’t know
(14.1%)

Not applicable
(3.3%)

Of the 92 participants that had previously used topical treatment and were currently taking a biologic or systemic treatment, most (n=73) were 
also still using topical treatment. 
Question: If your topical treatment had been more effective, would you have continued to use it instead of using a systemic or biologic, or would you 
have still started a systemic or biologic? 

 ◾

CONCLUSIONS
 ◾ Most survey respondents had moderate-to-
severe psoriasis with a duration of over 
5 years

 ◾ All respondents had used topical treatments 
in the past, and the vast majority were 
currently using topicals to treat their psoriasis

 ◾ Patient satisfaction was low, with lack of 
effectiveness being the main driver of 
dissatisfaction

 ◾ Of individuals who did not achieve sufficient 
response to topical treatment, over half 
would have continued to use their topical 
treatment over starting a systemic/biologic if 
the topical had been more effective

 ◾ These survey results suggest that patients are 
extensively using topical treatments to control 
their psoriasis, and that topical treatments, if 
more effective, would be preferred by most 
patients over systemic or biologic treatments

REFERENCES
1. Nestle FO, et al. N Engl J Med. 2009;361(5):496-509.

2. Visconti, et al. J Comp Eff Res. 2019;8(12):947-949. 

3. Menter, et al. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2009;60(4):643-659.

AUTHOR DISCLOSURES
Dr. Lawrence Green has served as a speaker, consultant, and/or investigator for: Arcutis, Abbvie, 

Amgen, Celgene, Dermavant, Jannsen, Lilly, MC2, Novartis, Ortho Dermatologics, Sienna, 

SunPharma, UCB. 

Dr. April Armstrong has served as a research investigator and/or consultant to AbbVie, Janssen, Lilly, Leo, 

Novartis, UCB, Ortho Dermatologics, Dermira, Sanofi, Regeneron, BMS, Dermavant, and Modernizing 

Medicine.  

Dr. Craig F Teller has nothing to disclose. 

Dr. Stacie Bell is an employee of the National Psoriasis Foundation. 

Dr. Tina Lin is an employee of Ortho Dermatologics and may hold stock and/or stock options in its 

parent company.

TABLE 1. Respondent Characteristics 

% of respondents

Survey 
Respondents  

(N=314)

First diagnosed with plaque psoriasis

Within past year 1.3

1 – 3 years ago 4.5

3 – 5 years ago 7.4

>5 years ago 86.9

Severity of disease (self-classified)

Mild 15.8

Moderate 53.1

Severe 30.9

Body parts commonly affected by psoriasis (>50% respondents)

Scalp 78.5

Arms 75.6

Legs 75.2

Body 61.4

Total number of treatments ever used

1 2.3

2 – 5 36.1

5 – 10 31.0

10 – 15 14.5

>15 16.1

 ◾ All patients had previously used topical medication(s), with 
current therapies primarily comprising topicals (87.1%) and 
biologics (21.2%; Figure 1)

 ◾ Nearly all respondents (93.2%) were open to trying new 
treatments (Figure 2; blue regions)

 ◾ Only 13.6% of respondents were very or extremely satisfied 
with their current plaque psoriasis treatment, with the lack 
of satisfaction primarily due to treatment not being effective 
enough (Figure 3)

 ◾ Of the 92 participants that had previously been on topical 
treatment and were currently on a systemic or biologic, 
over half stated that they would have preferred continuing 
their topical instead of starting a systemic/biologic 
treatment if their treatment was more effective (Figure 4)

Lawrence Green, MD1; April Armstrong, MD, MPH2; Craig F Teller, MD3; Stacie Bell, PhD4; Tina Lin, PharmD5
1George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC; 2Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA; 3Bellaire Dermatology Associates, Houston, TX; 4National Psoriasis Foundation; 5Ortho Dermatologics*, Bridgewater, NJ
*Ortho Dermatologics is a division of Bausch Health US, LLC.