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Combo Apremilast and Biologic: Safe and Effective
November 15 2016 2:00 PM ET — via RheumReports
A poster presentation Monday at the ACR 2016 meeting in Washington DC by Dr. Metyas et al. from USC looked at the combination of apremilast with biologics in a retrospective open-label study. I have seen dermatologists in my area use the combination many times with not much data but good success so this study is a relevant one for everyday practice.
The study was small, with 22 patients with plaque psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. Apremilast was added to the current biologic because of inadequate control. The biologics in question were all 5 anti-TNFs and ustekinumab. The duration of the combination was a mean of 8.1 months (min 1 month to max 24 months).
There were no major safety events reported including cancer or infection. The most commonly reported side effects were all GI: nausea, diarrhea, weight loss and abominal pain. All patients reported improvement with combination therapy although no formal measures were included.
Interesting data but further systematic trials are needed. Not to mention, how to persuade public or private payers of this costly combination!
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About the Author
Dr. Shelly Dunne
Dr. Shelley Dunne is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland School of Medicine. She completed her training in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Rheumatology at the University of Toronto. She has been in private practice since 1998 and is currently a consulting rheumatologist at the Toronto East General Hospital.
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