title: Apremilast in psoriatic arthritis.
abstract: Apremilast is a small molecule inhibitor of phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4 approved for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The efficacy and safety of apremilast in PsA have been demonstrated in four phase III trials. The compound has been approved for the treatment of moderate to severe PsA in the United States and in Europe. Apremilast also shows efficacy in psoriatic skin disease. Its mode of action is based on an increase of immune-regulatory cAMP in immune cells, which is mediated through the inhibition of the cAMP-degrading enzyme PDE4. Higher levels of cAMP inhibit cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, such as TNF-alpha or IL-23, resulting in clinical improvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine 3, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Erlangen, Germany. georg.schett@uk-erlangen.de.
authors.forename: Georg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Schett
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D015535:Arthritis, Psoriatic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D058988:Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012074:Remission Induction; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013792:Thalidomide / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D058988:Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitors; D013792:Thalidomide; C505730:apremilast