For patients with moderate-to severe psoriasis, apremilast appears to have a neutral association with aortic vascular inflammation, generally beneficial associations with certain cardiometabolic biomarkers, and associations with reductions in visceral and subcutaneous fat, according to a study published in JAMA Dermatology. Joel M. Gelfand, MD, and colleagues examined the association
between apremilast and aortic vascular inflammation in a single-arm, open-label nonrandomized
trial. Seventy patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis were enrolled. Compared with baseline,
there was no change in aortic vascular inflammation at weeks 16 or 52. Potentially beneficial
decreases in interleukin 1b, valine, leucine, isoleucine, fetuin A, and branched-chain amino acids were seen at week 16. Compared with baseline, at week 52, potentially beneficial decreases were seen in ferritin, β-hydroxybutyrate, acetone, and ketone bodies, and there was an increase observed in apolipoprotein A-1; a reduction was seen in cholesterol efflux. An approximately 5% to 6% decrease in subcutaneous and visceral adiposity was seen at week 16 and was maintained
at week 52.
