Introduction: Apremilast is a drug recently developed for psoriasis. Few data are available on its use in the elderly. We evaluated the tolerance and effectiveness of apremilast used in daily practice for psoriasis treatment in older patients.
Methods: We performed a multicenter, retrospective study involving patients aged ≥ 65 years who had received apremilast as a psoriasis treatment. Demographic data and details regarding psoriasis and adverse events (AEs) were collected from patient medical records.
Results: 135 patients were included (mean age: 73.5 years). Treatment was stopped in 74 patients (54.8%) for AEs (n = 43, 56.6%), primary failures (n = 18, 23.4%), and relapses (n = 7, 9.2%). When patients were stratified by age at treatment initiation, the main cause of discontinuation in patients ≥ 75 years was AEs, whereas in patients aged 65-74 years it was primary failures (28.3%). Sixty-one patients reported AEs, mainly digestive (n = 49). Regarding effectiveness, 45.2% of patients reached PGA 0/1 between 3 and 6 months after treatment initiation. One-year apremilast continuation rates were better in the 65-74 and 75-84 years subgroups than in the > 85 years subgroup (p = 0.01).
Conclusion: Apremilast seems to be an effective and safe therapeutic option for psoriasis in the elderly. The main AEs reported by patients did not seem to differ from those reported previously in younger populations. However, AEs were more frequent in patients > 75 years old leading to more frequent discontinuation of apremilast compared with younger patients, suggesting a higher level of vigilance is needed in the elderly.