Veronica Anwuri, MD: Benefits of Apremilast Treatment for Adult Plaque Psoriasis

In an interview with HCPLive, Veronica Anwuri, MD, Family Medicine Specialist at St. Luke’s Medical Group, spoke about key points covered in her presentation for Pri-Med Midwest 2022.

In her presentation for Pri-Med Midwest 2022, Anwuri discussed the use of apremilast (Otezla) as a treatment for adult plaque psoriasis.

“What we find is that patients don't like to bring it up because they've tried things in the past and nothing's worked,” Anwuri explained. “It's a condition that–even though they're coming to their primary care doctor–creates a lot of the debility for them, because people can see it and so it's very embarrassing. And the other concern is that it creates a lot of pain and itching for patients.”

Anwuri described the drug’s effects and explained how topical steroids do not always work for certain patients dealing with plaque psoriasis.

“And so what has been often used in the past is topical steroids,” she said. “And we find that just doesn't work. Most patients who come to primary care, have used 2-4 topical steroids and for many reasons, none of them worked. And so what Otezla brings to the table–which is different from what we've had before–is now you have a pill that patients can take that doesn't require lab work, or a shot, or side effects like traditional DMARDs like methotrexate, or Accutane.”

Anwuri went on to describe plaque psoriasis’s connection to psoriatic arthritis, which she explains may be benefited by apremilast.

“So what we learned is that patients with psoriasis–80-85% have the skin findings that you'll see, but up to 35% of those patients will have psoriatic arthritis as well,” she said. “So finding an oral non biologic that they don't have to do lab work for, they don't have to follow up with, you know, multiple specialists finding a medicine that treats the systemic illness, and treats that arthritis pain too, is key.”

For more information on Dr. Anwuri’s Pri-Med Midwest 2022 presentation, view the interview from the conference.