阿普斯特在治疗银屑病中的疗效与安全性

Introduction: Apremilast has shown good efficacy in the treatment of psoriasis, can improve various symptoms of psoriasis patients, and has high safety and compliance. Apremilast provides an effective treatment option for psoriasis patients, but patients should fully communicate with their doctor when choosing to use Apremilast to develop a personalized treatment plan.

Indications

Belongs to a class of drugs called phosphodiesterase inhibitors, which work by blocking the action of certain natural substances in the body that cause inflammation. They are mainly used to treat the following diseases:

1. Psoriatic arthritis: Apremilast can be used to treat psoriatic arthritis, a disease that causes joint pain, swelling and skin scales.

2. Psoriasis: Apremilast may be used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (a skin disease that causes red, scaly patches on certain parts of the body) in people who may benefit from medications or phototherapy (a treatment that involves exposing the skin to ultraviolet light).

3. Oral ulcers: Apremilast can also be used to treat oral ulcers in patients with Behcet's syndrome (a disease that causes swelling of blood vessels in the body).

Effectiveness

In two phase III randomized controlled trials, 16 weeks of treatment with Apremilast was significantly more effective than placebo in treating psoriatic lesions, including scalp and nail lesions. In the ESTEEM 1 study, patients who received apremilast for 52 weeks showed an 81%-88% improvement in PASI scores from baseline at weeks 32-52, and 61% achieved PASI 75 at week 52.

Safety

The safety data of Apremilast is good. Three-year long-term follow-up results show that there are no serious adverse reactions such as liver and kidney toxicity and bone marrow suppression. Common adverse reactions include diarrhea and nausea, most of which are mild to moderate, and most can be relieved within 2-4 weeks.

Precautions

Once treatment with Apremilast is initiated, patients should be monitored for adverse gastrointestinal manifestations, such as severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. If severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting occurs, dose reduction or treatment interruption should be prompted. Patients with a history of underlying psychosis who are receiving Apremilast should be monitored closely and regularly as treatment may increase the risk of depression and suicidal behavior. Patients receiving apremilast should also have their weight monitored regularly as significant weight loss may occur, requiring dose reduction or treatment interruption.