Deucravacitinib Relieves Skin and Joint Symptoms in Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis: Study
Researchers have found in a new research that deucravacitinib significantly improves joint pain and musculoskeletal symptoms in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, outperforming both placebo and apremilast, and effectively addressing both skin and joint manifestations of the diseases. The study was published in the journal of Dermatology and Therapy by Joseph F. and fellow researchers. This finding is drawn from a pooled analysis of two landmark Phase 3 clinical trials POETYK PSO-1 and POETYK PSO-2 which were designed to assess the dual benefit of deucravacitinib in patients presenting both dermatologic and musculoskeletal symptoms.
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) often follows psoriasis but is usually underdiagnosed because of the insidious onset of joint symptoms. Both skin and joint manifestations should be adequately controlled, a key challenge. The Psoriatic Arthritis Screening and Evaluation (PASE) questionnaire is a self-report instrument that is utilized for identifying patients with psoriasis at risk of PsA. In the current analysis, patients from the POETYK PSO-1 and PSO-2 trials who screened positive on the PASE (≥ 47) and had musculoskeletal symptoms were examined in order to evaluate the effect of deucravacitinib versus placebo and apremilast on joint-related symptoms.
Both POETYK PSO-1 (NCT03624127) and PSO-2 (NCT03611751) trials included patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who were administered the PASE questionnaire upon screening. Individuals who screened positive (PASE score ≥ 47) were included in the sub-analysis. Pain and total burden of musculoskeletal symptoms were assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS), with increased scores reflecting increased discomfort. Outcomes were compared at weeks 16 and 24. The analysis was based on VAS improvement and percentage of patients with ≥30%, ≥50%, and ≥70% improvement in musculoskeletal symptom scores.
Key Findings
This pooled analysis involved 185 PASE-positive patients with self-reported joint symptoms:
At Week 16, patients receiving deucravacitinib reported greater reductions in:
• Joint pain VAS: -15.2 (deucravacitinib) vs. -3.2 (placebo)
• Joint disease VAS: -17.4 (deucravacitinib) vs. -3.8 (placebo)
At Week 24, improvements from baseline were more significant with deucravacitinib compared to apremilast:
• Joint pain VAS: -22.8 (deucravacitinib) vs. -8.6 (apremilast)
• Joint disease VAS: -19.6 (deucravacitinib) vs. -8.8 (apremilast)
A higher percentage of deucravacitinib-treated patients achieved:
• ≥30% improvement in both week 16 and week 24 joint symptoms
• ≥50% and ≥70% improvements, which reflect greater response than observed with apremilast or placebo
This pooled analysis of the POETYK PSO trials shows that deucravacitinib not only benefits skin manifestations of psoriasis but also notably improves joint pain and musculoskeletal effect, rendering it an appealing treatment for overlapping-symptomatic patients with psoriatic arthritis. Early detection of joint symptoms using instruments such as PASE and effective control using drugs such as deucravacitinib may enhance long-term prognosis and quality of life in patients with psoriasis.
Reference:
Merola JF, Mease PJ, Armstrong AW, Strand V, Lehman T, Varga S, Choi JC, Becker B, Zhong Y, Colombo MJ, Thaçi D, Bili A, Gottlieb AB. Deucravacitinib in Patients with Plaque Psoriasis Who Screened Positive for Psoriatic Arthritis: Improvements in Joint Pain and the Impact of Musculoskeletal Symptoms. Dermatol Ther (Heidelb). 2025 May 30. doi: 10.1007/s13555-025-01428-9. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40445270.
