Aim: Current study was aimed to appraise the effectiveness and tolerability of apremilast in psoriasis patients at AL-Diwaniyah province, Iraq.
Materials and methods: This prospective cross-sectional study conducted at Dermatology Unit/ AL-Diwaniyah Teaching Hospital/ Iraq, during the period from January to October 2023. A total of 125 patients, 90 males and 35 females, were enrolled in this study. Patients who were eligible were treated for 6 months using apremilast at a dose of 30 mg/day. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index scoring system was used for assessment of patients' response to treatment. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 26).
Results: Data from current study revealed that there was a significant reduction of mean PASI score from 20.37±6.25 at baseline to 3.72±2.09 after 6 months of treatment (p<0.001).
Conclusion: Apremilast is effective in reducing PASI mean score with negligible adverse effects. However, multi-center studies are needed to establish its efficacy and safety in Iraqi patients with psoriasis.