Apremilast lowers weight and improves obese patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

USA: A recent study conducted by OM1 Real-World Data Cloud has found that apremilast, a medication used to treat psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsO and PsA), may have beneficial effects on weight loss and disease severity outcomes in patients with varying levels of obesity. The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Rheumatology.

Obesity is more prevalent in people with PsO and PsA than in the general population. Obese persons who lose weight may have less severe PsO illness. Apremilast may be connected with weight loss and HbA1c reduction in patients.

The study estimated the obesity burden among patients with PsO and/or PsA newly treated with apremilast, stratifying the cohort by obesity status. Demographic and clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and treatments were described at baseline. Changes in cardiometabolic and disease activity measures were assessed at 6 months using statistical tests and multivariable linear regression.

The study concluded with the following clinical findings:

1. Severely obese patients were younger, more likely to be female, and had higher proportions of Black and Hispanic patients.

2. Higher obesity was associated with higher comorbidities (hypertension, dyslipidemia, pre-diabetes/T2DM, depression, and cardiovascular disease).

3. Mean raw RAPID3 score increased over increasing levels of obesity.

4. Significant reductions in weight and HbA1c were observed across all strata.

5. Disease severity outcomes reduced at 6 months regardless of obesity status.

The study suggests that apremilast may have a positive impact on cardiometabolic measures in clinical practice, and could be an effective treatment option for PsO and PsA patients with varying levels of obesity.

Dr. Kate Orroth, lead author of the study said that “The study was observational in nature, and further research is needed to confirm the findings. The study highlights the significant obesity burden among PsO and PsA patients and the potential benefits of apremilast as a treatment option.”

Reference:

Orroth K, Cavanaugh C, Qian X, Kumparatana P, et al. Obesity Burden and Effects of Apremilast on Changes in Cardiometabolic Parameters by Obesity Status in Patients with Psoriasis or Psoriatic Arthritis in a Real-World Setting. Paper presented at: Clinical Congress of Rheumatology (CCR) East 2023 Annual Meeting. Destin, FL. May 4 – 7, 2023.