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Today the Team at JoinAStudy.ca would like to acknowledge the dedicated work of one of our Investigators, Dr. Sabeen Anwar. Dr. Anwar and her team have played a key part in gathering new data to advance the knowledge of patient care for the condition of Psoriatic Arthritis.
The APPRAISE study, a prospective observational investigation conducted in Canadian rheumatology clinics, aimed to evaluate the 12-month effectiveness, tolerability, and patient satisfaction with apremilast treatment for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in real-world settings. Enrolling 102 patients between July 2018 and March 2020, the study followed participants for 12 months, with visits recommended every 4 months.
Results indicated that 44.1% of patients discontinued the study by the 12-month mark, with most presenting with moderate or high disease activity at baseline. The primary outcome measure, the achievement of remission (REM) or low disease activity (LDA) defined by the Clinical Disease Activity Index for Psoriatic Arthritis (cDAPSA), showed rates of 63.7%, 67.2%, and 53.8% at months 4, 8, and 12, respectively.
Patients continuing in the study demonstrated significant improvements in various parameters, including swollen and tender joint counts, pain visual analog scale, psoriasis body surface area, and complete dactylitis resolution. Enthesitis reduction was also observed, alongside enhancements in treatment satisfaction and patient-reported outcomes, including Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index and 36-item Short Form physical and mental component scores over 12 months.
Apremilast was well-tolerated, with diarrhea, nausea, and migraine being the most common adverse events leading to discontinuation. Despite the high discontinuation rate, the study highlighted apremilast’s clinical effectiveness in treating active PsA in a real-world setting.
The study contributes valuable real-world evidence to the understanding of apremilast’s efficacy and safety profile, especially in the Canadian population. While acknowledging limitations such as the lack of racial diversity and potential confounding from concurrent treatments, the results emphasize the practical benefits of apremilast in clinical practice, supporting its role in improving patient outcomes and satisfaction in PsA treatment.
You can read the full study breakdown by visiting this link.