Efficacy and safety of apremilast in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis of the scalp: results up to 32 weeks from a randomised, phase 3 study

Scalp psoriasis is common and is often severe enough to negatively impact quality of life (QOL).(1,2) In STYLE (NCT03123471), oral apremilast 30 mg twice daily (BID) demonstrated significantly greater improvements in moderate to severe plaque psoriasis of the scalp, scalp itch, whole body itch, and QOL versus placebo(3) during the 16-week, placebo-controlled phase; safety and tolerability were consistent with the known safety profile of apremilast.(3,4) We report the efficacy and safety of apremilast during the apremilast extension phase of STYLE (Weeks 16 to 32). During the extension phase, patients initially randomised to placebo were switched to apremilast (placebo/apremilast group; with titration during Week 16) and patients initially randomised to apremilast continued active treatment (apremilast/apremilast group; with dummy titration during Week 16) through Week 32. We also present efficacy of apremilast at Week 16 in patient subgroups based on baseline demographics and treatment characteristics