Treatment Persistence and Safety of Apremilast in Psoriasis: Experience With 30 Patients in Routine Clinical Practice

Abstract

Apremilast is a phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor taken orally. Little information about its use in routine clinical practice is available. We aimed to assess treatment safety and persistence rates in patients on apremilast for different forms of plaque psoriasis. This observational retrospective study included 30 patients with psoriasis who were treated with apremilast between January 2016 and December 2017 in our hospital. Twelve patients had palmar-plantar psoriasis, 8 had plaque psoriasis mainly on the scalp, and 10 had plaque psoriasis in other locations. The probable period of treatment persistence in patients in the 50th percentile was 18.5 months according to survival analysis of the series overall. Our experience suggests that apremilast is effective and safe for treating palmar-plantar psoriasis and plaques at other locations but not for treating scalp psoriasis. Adverse effects that compromise treatment occur in nearly two-thirds of the patients.

Keywords: Adverse effects; Apremilast; Clinical practice; Efectos adversos; Localizaciones especiales; Práctica clínica; Specific locations.