EFFECTIVENESS AND TOLERABILITY OF APREMILAST IN TREATMENT OF A SAMPLE OF PATIENTS WITH PSORIASIS.

AIM: Current study was aimed to appraise the effectiveness and tolerability of apremilast in psoriasis patients at AL-Diwaniyah province, Iraq.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This prospective cross-sectional study conducted at Dermatology Unit/ AL-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital/ Iraq, during the period from January to October 2023. A total of 125 patients, 90 males and 35 females, were enrolled in this study. Patients who were eligible were treated for 6 months using apremilast at a dose of 30 mg/day. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index scoring system was used for assessment of patients' response to treatment. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 26).

RESULTS

Data from current study revealed that there was a significant reduction of mean PASI score from 20.37±6.25 at baseline to 3.72±2.09 after 6 months of treatment (p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Apremilast is effective in reducing PASI mean score with negligible adverse effects. However, multi-center studies are needed to establish its efficacy and safety in Iraqi patients with psoriasis.