Impact of clinical and demographic characteristics on patient preferences for psoriasis treatment features: Results from a discrete-choice experiment in a multicountry study

Objectives This study aimed to elicit preferences for psoriasis treatment features and to test for preference heterogeneity across groups of respondents. Materials and methods A discrete-choice experiment was employed to elicit preferences of patients with plaque psoriasis in multiple countries. The survey instrument included a series of choice questions between three hypothetical treatments, each characterized by varying levels of six attributes (namely, lesion reduction, risk of impairing side effects, time to reach results, mode and frequency of administration, itching reduction, and side effects). Random parameters logit was used to model the data. Results were compared across a total of 18 subgroup sets. Results The data analysis from 1,123 respondents showed that, on average, respondents receive more utility gain from higher levels of lesion reduction and lower risks of impairing side effects than changes in other attributes included in the study. Systematic differences were detected for 13 sets; the most pronounced differences were observed based on disease severity, nail psoriasis, biologic experience, and quality-of-life scores. Conclusion These many sources of preference heterogeneity identified by our analysis suggest that to improve patient satisfaction and, probably, adherence and persistence, clinicians should discuss options with patients when prescribing their treatment.