Apremilast: First Pediatric Approval

  

Declarations

Funding The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding.

Authorship and Conflict of interest During the peer review process, the manufacturer of the agent under review was offered an opportunity to comment on the article. Changes resulting from any comments received were made by the authors on the basis of scientific completeness and accuracy. Hannah Blair is a salaried employee of Adis International Ltd/Springer Nature and declares no relevant conflicts of interest. All authors contributed to this article and are responsible for its content.

Ethics approval, Consent to participate, Consent to publish, Availability of data and material, Code availability Not applicable.

Additional information about this Adis Drug Review can be found here. 

  

Abstract 

Apremilast (Otezla®) is an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE-4) being developed by Amgen. It is approved in multiple countries worldwide, including the USA and those of the EU, for the treatment of adults with psoriatic arthritis, plaque psoriasis, or oral ulcers associated with Behçet’s disease. In April 2024, based on clinical data in patients aged 6–17 years, apremilast received its first pediatric approval in the USA for the treatment of pediatric patients aged ≥ 6 years and weighing ≥ 20 kg with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy. Apremilast was also approved in the EU in October 2024 for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in children and adolescents from the age of 6 years and weighing ≥ 20 kg who are candidates for systemic therapy. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of apremilast leading to the first pediatric approval for plaque psoriasis.

  

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