Key clinical point: Early initiation of apremilast led to rapid and sustained improvements in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) manifestations with a consistent safety profile in a real-world cohort of biologic-naive patients who were intolerant of conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARD).
Major finding: Among patients with baseline swollen joint count (SJC) and tender joint count (TJC) of >0, significant median decreases in SJC (50% and 90%, respectively) and TJC (50% and 80%, respectively) were observed at 16 and 52 weeks (all P < .001), with 55.2% of evaluable patients achieving minimal disease activity at 52 weeks. Overall, 13.8% of patients experienced ≥1 adverse event, with all except one being non-serious.
Study details: This prospective study included 167 biologic-naive patients with early peripheral PsA and intolerance or inadequate response to csDMARD who initiated apremilast.
Disclosures: This study was funded by Genesis Pharma and Celgene. Some authors reported ties with various sources, including Genesis Pharma. A Kekki and N Antonakopoulos reported being employees of Genesis Pharma.
Source: Sfikakis PP et al. Apremilast for biologic-naïve, peripheral psoriatic arthritis, including patients with early disease: Results from the APROACH observational prospective study. Rheumatol Int. 2023 (Mar 1). Doi: 10.1007/s00296-022-05269-z