Apremilast in Psoriatic Arthritis in Real-life Clinical Practice in Greece

Despite tremendous progress achieved in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) over the past 15 years, its management remains challenging due to the clinical heterogeneity and multifaceted nature of the disease. Currently available recommended algorithms for PsA treatment guide clinicians through treatment choices, beginning with conventional synthetic DMARDs after failure of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and local therapy for active disease, followed, if necessary, by a biological DMARD or a targeted synthetic (ts) DMARD. The latter novel category of DMARDs represents recent advances in the treatment options of PsA that aim to overcome the limitations of biological agents that stem by the fact that they have to be administered intravenously or subcutaneously, are very cost intensive for both the patients and the health system, while among them, the immunosuppressive biological agents are also associated with increased risks for infections and certain malignancies. The first approved tsDMARD for the treatment of PsA is apremilast which with an alternative mechanism of action, oral route of administration and favorable safety profile, presents a novel treatment option for PsA that may be appropriate for use early in the treatment algorithm. Although there is evidence from the controlled clinical trial setting on the significant clinical benefits of apremilast in the treatment of active PsA, and despite the increasing recognition of the value of real-world data as a complementary source to randomized clinical trials, there is a scarcity of real-life evidence on the effectiveness and the beneficial role of apremilast in PsA in routine clinical practice which is partially attributed to the relatively recent advent of apremilast in the market. In light of the above, the present study primarily aims to generate real-world evidence on the impact of apremilast treatment on a broad population of biologic-naïve PsA patients in terms of its clinical effectiveness across the wide spectrum of disease manifestations, as well as its impact on disease burden and HRQoL, in the routine primary care settings of Greece. This information alongside with collected evidence regarding drug utilisation and safety profile under real-world conditions will strengthen the current state of knowledge in regards to the optimal use of apremilast in this population.