Apremilast is a targeted synthetic disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (tsDMARD) directed against phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) with demonstrated efficacy and safety in PsA and psoriasis.
Psoriasis is a common, chronic inflammatory disease characterized by abnormal skin plaques, and the effectiveness of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor to lessen the symptoms of psoriasis has been proved.
Phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors are used to treat autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, such as psoriasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
As systemic PDE4 inhibition has also been used with success in psoriasis, clinical trials are underway to determine the utility of topical PDE4 inhibitors in these patients.
The phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor apremilast increases cellular cAMP levels and has proven effective in the treatment of psoriasis and psoriasis arthritis.
Among PDE4 inhibitors, apremilast, roflumilast, and crisabolore have been approved for the treatment of psoriasis and PsA, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and atopic dermatitis, respectively.