Is apremilast for psoriasis as effective and safe as reported in clinical trials? Five-year experience from a Greek tertiary hospital.

Abstract

Apremilast was approved as an effective and safe treatment for psoriasis, but clinical trial results may differ from real-life data. This retrospective cross-sectional study evaluated the long-term efficacy and safety of apremilast in a Greek cohort of adult psoriasis patients, who had received at least one dose of the drug between March 2016 and January 2021. Primary endpoint was the percentage of patients having achieved PASI75 (75% reduction in Psoriasis Area Severity Index) at week 16. Absolute PASI, PASI90 and adverse events were also recorded at various timepoints. 102 patients (29.4% females, 70.6% males) with a mean age of 55.94 years (SD 15.21) were included. PASI75 and PASI90 were achieved by 20.8% and 1.98% of patients at week 16 respectively. According to our results, PASI90 achievement was significantly lower compared to clinical trials. Apremilast efficacy increased gradually until week 24, with further improvement noticed in good responders by week 52.