New drug – apremilast – benefits psoriatic arthritis

A drug called apremilast has a positive impact on people with psoriatic arthritis says a phase III clinical trial published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The study aimed to assess the advantages of apremilast in treating 504 people with active psoriatic arthritis who had already been treated with disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) and/or a biologic therapy.

The volunteers were split into three groups. Some received 20mg apremilast twice a day, others had 30mg apremilast twice a day and the third group received a placebo.

People who took apremilast were more likely to have a positive response than those who had the placebo (31% of the 20mg group and 40% of the 30mg group saw their condition improve, compared to 19% of the placebo group).

Significant improvements in physical function and psoriasis symptoms were evident with both apremilast doses too; the 30mg group generally performed best.

“Apremilast was effective in the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, improving signs and symptoms and physical function,” the scientists report. “Apremilast demonstrated an acceptable safety profile and was generally well tolerated.”

The new drug is not yet available. First it needs to be tested against existing biological therapies.

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