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Apremilast approved for oral ulcers associated with Behçet’s Disease



General Information

Otezla (apremilast) is an oral small-molecule inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) specific for cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP).

Otezla is specifically indicated for the treatment of adult patients with oral ulcers associated with Behçet’s Disease.

Otezla is supplied as a tablet for oral administration. To reduce risk of gastrointestinal symptoms, titrate to recommended dose of 30 mg twice daily according to the following schedule:

Day 1: 10 mg in morning

Day 2: 10 mg in morning and 10 mg in evening

Day 3: 10 mg in morning and 20 mg in evening

Day 4: 20 mg in morning and 20 mg in evening

Day 5: 20 mg in morning and 30 mg in evening

Day 6 and thereafter: 30 mg twice daily

Clinical Results

FDA Approval

The FDA approval of Otezla for oral ulcers associated with Behçet’s Disease was based on the randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind Phase 3 RELIEF study evaluating Otezla in 207 adult patients with Behçet’s Disease with active oral ulcers who were previously treated with at least one nonbiologic medication and were candidates for systemic therapy. Results showed Otezla 30 mg BID resulted in a 42.7 point reduction from baseline in the pain of oral ulcers as measured by the visual analog scale (VAS) at week 12, compared with an 18.7 point reduction with placebo. The proportion of patients achieving an oral ulcer complete response (oral ulcer-free) at week 12 was 52.9% in the Otezla arm and 22.3% in the placebo arm. The proportion of patients achieving oral ulcer complete response by week 6 and who remained oral ulcer-free for at least six additional weeks during the 12-week treatment phase was 29.8% in the Otezla arm and 4.9% in the placebo arm. The daily average number of oral ulcers during the 12-week treatment phase was 1.5 in the Otezla arm and 2.6 in the placebo arm (based on oral ulcer counts measured at baseline and at weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12).

Side Effects

Adverse effects associated with the use of Otezla for oral ulcers associated with Behçet’s Disease may include, but are not limited to, the following:

diarrhea

nausea

headache

upper respiratory tract infection

Mechanism of Action

Otezla (apremilast) is an oral small-molecule inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) specific for cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). PDE4 inhibition results in increased intracellular cAMP levels. The specific mechanism(s) by which apremilast exerts its therapeutic action is not well defined.

For more information – please visit Otezla website

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