By: Sruthy Iype  Sep. 08, 2020

Dexur’s analysis of Medicare claims data showed a 10 percent increase in Stelara’s use among patients of Crohn’s disease in 2019, as compared to 2018. The study looks at the J code (J3357) usage of Stelara among Medicare patients diagnosed with plaque psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, and psoriatic arthritis who received outpatient services at hospitals between Jan 2017 and Dec 2019.

Janssen’s Stelara (ustekinumab) is an interleukin inhibitor approved for the treatment of autoimmune disorders including plaque psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and psoriatic arthritis. Interleukins, a subclass of cytokines (proteins involved in cell signaling), play a key role in regulating immune responses. Stelara specifically targets interleukin-12 and interleukin-23, blocking the cytokines’ interaction with their receptors, and reducing inflammation and other symptoms associated with the autoimmune conditions.

The use of Stelara in the treatment of plaque psoriasis accounted for the largest proportion of total patients who were administered the drug during all three years. The diagnosis category which had a share of 43 percent in 2017 and 41 percent in 2018, shrunk by 6 percent to account for 35 percent of the total patients who were treated with the drug in 2019.

Following plaque psoriasis, the use of Stelara was most prevalent in the treatment of Crohn’s disease. During the period of analysis, a steady growth was observed in the drug’s use with respect to the condition. Recording a 10 percent year-over-year increase in 2019, the 32 percent patient-share of Crohn’s disease almost equaled that of plaque psoriasis. The analysis also revealed that the payment’s associated with the diagnosis category accounted for a major proportion of the drug’s revenue in 2019.

A considerable share of the drug’s usage is also associated with the treatment of psoriatic arthritis. The diagnosis category’s share of the total patients has however diminished year after year, accounting for about 13 percent of the total patients who were administered Stelara in 2019.