Abstract
In 2014 apremilast was the first oral FDA approved therapy in almost 20 years. Although the efficacy of apremilast, PASI 75—33% @ week 16 was inferior to the biologic agents approved in its era, i.e. ustekinumab, Adalimumab, PASI 75—71%, the safety of apremilast resulted in many dermatologists prescribing apremilast to their patients with psoriasis. The reason for the expansive use of apremilast is at least partially due to the following factors, no risks of malignancy, serious infections, no opportunistic infections, no laboratory monitoring required.
Many psoriatics, in part to direct to consumer marketing, have been fearful of the side effects of biologic agents, yet since topical therapy was not providing adequate efficacy they wanted a different option. In addition to showing efficacy for plaque psoriasis, apremilast has also been studied and revealed efficacy in psoriatic arthritis (FDA approved), psoriatic onychodystrophy, scalp psoriasis, and palmar plantar psoriasis.
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Bagel, J., Nelson, E. (2021). Apremilast. In: Weinberg, J.M., Lebwohl, M. (eds) Advances in Psoriasis. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54859-9_11
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