The Food and Drug Administration has expanded the indication for apremilast (Otezla) to include the treatment of oral ulcers associated with Behçet’s disease in adults, according to an announcement from the manufacturer, Celgene.
FDA approval was based on results of the randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, phase 3 RELIEF trial, in which 207 patients with Behçet’s disease with active ulcers underwent treatment for 12 weeks with 30 mg apremilast or placebo. When measured on a visual analog scale, the reduction in pain from oral ulcers after 12 weeks in patients receiving apremilast was 42.7 points, compared with 18.7 points in the placebo group. Just over 50% of apremilast patients achieved complete response by week 12, compared with 22.3% in the placebo group.
The most common adverse events associated with apremilast during RELIEF were diarrhea, nausea, headache, and upper respiratory infection. This was consistent with apremilast’s known safety profile.
Apremilast is also indicated for treatment of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy, and for patients with active psoriatic arthritis.
“Oral ulcers are a recurring and debilitating manifestation that affects nearly everyone living with Behçet’s disease and have an important negative impact on the quality of life for these patients. In the clinical trial, Otezla demonstrated improvements in measures of oral ulcers at week 12. Otezla has the potential to be a needed treatment option for U.S. patients and their physicians, who previously had limited options available,” Yusuf Yazici, MD, clinical associate professor in the department of medicine at New York University, said in the announcement.