A new oral treatment for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, apremilast is now also available in Greece. Abroad he has helped many patients, famous and not.
The new medicinal substance, which is in the form of a pill that is administered twice a day, showed in clinical trials that it significantly improved, in a percentage exceeding 75%, psoriasis in patients, while in some it even disappeared the symptoms for a significant period of time.
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The scientists explain that these results are not as impressive as with biologic agents administered by injection or under the skin, but emphasize that oral drugs have few side effects.
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THE Dimitris Rigopoulos, professor of Dermatology and Venereology at the University of Athens, emphasized that "the need for new drugs that can combine safety with efficacy and ease of use to fill existing therapeutic gaps is indisputable. In this context, a new oral treatment is eagerly awaited."
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The release of the drug on the Greek market and its inclusion in the positive list of prescription drugs comes after the approval of the European Commission at the beginning of 2015.
It is a selective PDE4 inhibitor and is the first oral treatment to be approved for psoriasis patients in 20 years and the first oral treatment to be approved for psoriatic arthritis in 15 years.
The substance has shown effectiveness in psoriasis, including hard-to-treat areas such as the scalp and nails, as well as psoriatic arthritis, with improvement in swollen and tender joints, as well as digitalis and enthesitis.
Which patients is it for?
It is also important that the new drug has a favorable safety profile, while according to the European approved GUIDELINES accompanying the product, no preliminary diagnostic test or continuous laboratory monitoring of the patient is required.
The treatment is expected to help moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis in adult patients who have not responded to, or have a contraindication to, or have shown intolerance to, other systemic therapy, including cyclosporine, methotrexate, or psoralen, and ultraviolet A radiation ( PUVA).
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It can also be used as monotherapy or in combination with Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs (DMARDs) for the treatment of active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in adult patients who have had an inadequate response or have shown intolerance to previous DMARD therapy.
THE Charalambos Berberidis, vice president of the Hellenic Rheumatology Society and of the Professional Association of Rheumatologists of Greece stated that "psoriatic arthritis is a chronic condition and its treatment has many challenges. Now, having a different mechanism of action than existing treatments, it appears to improve all parameters of the disease that afflict patients, while maintaining a favorable safety profile combined with per os administration."
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Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis
Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are two diseases associated with dysregulation of immune system activity.
Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory condition characterized by superficial scaly lesions on the skin. It affects about 14 million people in Europe and about 125 million people worldwide. Plaque psoriasis is the most common form of the disease and accounts for approximately 80% of patients.
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In addition, up to 30% of people with psoriasis can develop psoriatic arthritis.
Psoriatic arthritis, which is also a disease that occurs as a result of immune system dysfunction, is estimated to affect nearly 38 million people worldwide. It is a chronic condition characterized by pain, stiffness, swelling and tenderness of the joints, as well as a reduction in physical functionality.
Source: iefimerida