Apremilast in Patients Difficult to Treat: A Multicentric Real-Life Long-Term Experience

Abstract

Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease nowadays considered not only as a cutaneous but also as a systemic disease. Systemic therapy plays a crucial role in the management of psoriasis. Apremilast is an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4), indicated in the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Here, we report a multicentric case series of patients treated with apremilast with resolution of skin manifestations and maintenance of clinical response for a minimum of 2 years. By inhibiting PDE4, apremilast acts as a ubiquitous intracellular enzyme, whose active form degrades adenosine cyclic intracellular monophosphate (cAMP) into AMP. The increase in cAMP determines a decrease in proinflammatory cytokines such as TNF-a, IL-17, IL-23, and upregulation of IL-10 with an anti-inflammatory action. Considering the growing incidence of comorbidities in the world population and in particular the strict correlation in patients with psoriasis, it is important to identify therapeutic options able to avoid a negative impact on patients with both conditions. The aim of this work is to highlight the utility of this molecule in the long-term management of these patients. Moreover, these case series further underline the high safety profile and manageability of this small molecule.