Is Apremilast (Otezla) Effective in Reducing Pruritus in Adults over 18 Years Old with Plaque Psoriasis?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not apremilast (Otezla) is effective in reducing pruritus in adults over 18 years old with plaque psoriasis STUDY DESIGN: This review is based on three randomized controlled trials (RCTs) published in 2012, and 2015. DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials comparing the effectiveness of apremilast to a placebo in reducing pruritus in adults over 18 years old with plaque psoriasis, found using PubMed. OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcome studied was improvement of the psoriatic plaques based on reduction in pruritus measured by the Pruritus Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score. RESULTS: Papp et al. (2012) showed a significant reduction in pruritus while using 30 mg of apremilast BID (p\u3c0.0004). The study by Papp et al. (2015) showed that apremilast resulted in a significantly greater improvement compared to placebo, in reducing pruritus (p\u3c0.0001). The study by Paul et al. displayed significant improvements in pruritus when compared to the placebo (p\u3c0.001) CONCLUSIONS: Results of all three studies demonstrate that 30mg of apremilist BID is effective in reducing pruritus in adults with plaque psoriasis. Each study showed improvement of pruritus with minimal side effects