Together, we can positively impact patients living with psoriasis

Psoriasis (Ps) is a dermatologic disease that’s more than what you may see on the surface. The disease can have a significant impact on both patients’ lives and their emotional well-being.

Learn more about Ps and its impact below:

Disease Education

The better we understand Ps, the better prepared we will all be in helping patients gain control over this condition.

TREATMENT TARGETS: DEFINITION AND ACHIEVEMENT

National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) Treatment Targets for Plaque Psoriasis¹

Target Response

Body surface area (BSA) ≤1% at 3 months post‑initiation

Acceptable Response

BSA ≤3% OR ≥75% BSA improvement from baseline at 3 months post‑initiation

Limitations: Over time, targets will likely need to be adjusted to account for improvements in instruments. BSA does not encompass HRQoL, costs, and risks of side effects.

The NPF conducted a consensus-building study among 25 Ps experts to establish defined treatment targets toward which clinicians and patients with Ps can strive to inform treatment decisions, reduce disease burden, and improve outcomes in practice. The study used the Delphi method, which included a literature review, pre-Delphi question selection and input from general dermatologists and patients, and 4 Delphi rounds. HRQoL=health-related quality of life.

Real-World Achievement of NPF Treat-to-Target Goals in the United States²

The proportion of patients achieving BSA ≤3% or BSA ≤1% after at least 3 months of treatment.

These results were consistent across multiple sensitivity analyses.

This analysis used data from OM1 Inc.’s Psoriasis PremiOM Dataset, including EMR systems, laboratory results, e-prescribing data, clinical observations, certain PROs and medical and pharmacy claims data. Patients with Ps ≥18 years of age across the United States who initiated an advanced therapy (TNF, IL-12/23, IL-17, IL-23, or PDE-4 inhibitors) between January 1, 2021, and September 30, 2022, and had at least 1 BSA measure ≥90 days after treatment initiation were included in the analysis. Data from 6,395 patients were included in this analysis. EMR=electronic medical record. IL-12/23=interleukin 12/23. IL-17=interleukin 17. IL-23=interleukin 23. PDE-4=phosphodiesterase-4. PRO=patient-reported outcome. TNF=tumor necrosis factor.

Incidence of Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) in Psoriasis Patients Meeting NPF Treat-to-Target Goals³

Kaplan-Meier curves for incident PsA by attainment of NPF target goal in patients from the CorEvitas Psoriasis Registry

KEY INCLUSION CRITERIA

Biologic-naïve patients
Diagnosed with plaque Ps
BSA >3% at baseline
Initiated first systemic biologic for Ps at or up to 42 days after baseline visit
PsA-free at baseline and index visit

INCIDENCE RATE OF PSA

Overall cohort:
7.12 (95% CI, 6.23–8.14) per 100 PY
Attained NPF target goal:
6.46 (95% CI, 5.47–7.62) per 100 PY
Did not attain NPF target goal:
8.82 (95% CI, 7.04–11.07) per 100 PY

Risk of incident PsA was consistently lower for patients who met the NPF target goal at index over the 5-year follow-up period vs patients who did not meet the NPF target goal (logrank P=0.02). Incident PsA defined as either rheumatologist/dermatologist-reported or PEST score ≥3.

These real-world data are observational, retrospectively collected, and not based on controlled clinical studies. The CorEvitas Psoriasis Registry includes a sample of adults with Ps that are not necessarily representative of all adults with Ps in the US and Canada. Results were captured during routine clinical practice and are descriptive in nature only. Neither dermatologist-reported PsA nor a PEST score ≥3 may possess adequate specificity for accurately diagnosing PsA which may overestimate the incidence of PsA.

Logrank test for equality of survival functions: x2 (1 df) = 5.1, P=0.02. CI=confidence interval.

DISEASE SEVERITY: IPC CONSENSUS STATEMENT

Re-Categorization of Psoriasis Severity⁴

The 2020 International Psoriasis Council (IPC) Consensus statement describes two categories of psoriasis severity:

1. Candidates for topical therapy

2. Candidates for systemic therapy*

Psoriasis patients classified as candidates for systemic therapy meet at least 1 of the following criteria:

BSA >10% BSA >10%

Disease involving special areas^† Disease involving special areas^†

Failure of topical therapy Failure of topical therapy

*Systemic therapies include both biologic and non-biologic treatments such as phototherapy and older systemic agents. ^†’Special areas’ refers to psoriasis affecting more impactful sites such as the face, palms, soles, genitalia, scalp, or nails.

BEYOND BSA: BURDEN OF SPECIAL AREA INVOLVEMENT

Patient Perspective on QoL, Depression, and Severity⁵

84.4 percentage

Patients with psoriatic disease who reported special area involvement such as the scalp, face, hands, feet, or genitalia
(n/N=3,594/4,129)

60 percentage

Patients with ”limited disease” (BSA <3 involved palms) and involvement of at least one special area reported the disease severity as moderate or severe

Patients with Ps involving special areas reported worse quality of life and depression
vs patients with no special area involvement

A total of 69,190 individuals with psoriatic disease living in the US were invited to participate in a patient advocacy survey by telephone and/or web interviews over the course of 3 years (2019–2021). A total of 4,129 individuals completed the survey. The survey instrument consisted of DLQI, depression (Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ)-2 and (PHQ)-9), and PROMIS Ability to Participate in Social Roles and Activities (SF-4a). Chi-square tests were performed, and multivariate logistic regression models were then constructed, to assess impact of having Ps in special locations on patient outcomes.

References: 1. Armstrong AW, Siegel MP, Bagel J, et al. From the Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation: treatment targets for plaque psoriasis. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2017;76(2):290-298. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2016.10.017 2. Armstrong AW et al. Poster presented at: The National Psoriasis Foundation Research Symposium; October 7, 2023; Washington, DC. 3. Strober BE et al. Poster presented at: American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting; March 7-11, 2025; Orlando, FL. 4. Strober B, Ryan C, van de Kerkhof P, et al. Recategorization of psoriasis severity: Delphi consensus from the International Psoriasis Council. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2020;82(1):117-122. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2019.08.026 5. Blauvelt A, Gondo GC, Bell S, et al. Psoriasis involving special areas is associated with worse quality of life, depression, and limitations in the ability to participate in social roles and activities. J Psoriasis Psoriatic Arthritis. 2023;8(3):100-106. doi:10.1177/24755303231160683

Treatment Considerations

You and your patients have many treatment options—such as phototherapy and topical/systemic therapies—to consider for Ps.
Take a look at information that may help with your treatment considerations.

Patient Stories

Watch these patient stories to gain a deeper appreciation of the burden of plaque psoriasis.

Each shade of skin deserves care

Watch and learn from leading clinical experts on how we can improve
dermatologic care for patients of color living with Ps.