Advances in Psoriasis Treatment

Deucravacitinib (Sotyktu) is an FDA-approved drug that you take by mouth once daily. It’s designed to help adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Some experts believe it’s as effective as injectable biologics on the market and has fewer side effects. 

Targeted UV-based phototherapy and topical calcipotriene cream are each commonly used psoriasis treatments. But in a recent study, researchers combined the two treatments. They found that if you apply the ointment and get phototherapy, it can better reduce plaque psoriasis, compared to when phototherapy is used alone. 

The FDA approved roflumilast cream 0.3% (Zoryve) to treat mild, moderate, and severe plaque psoriasis. The once-daily steroid-free cream is the first phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitor cream approved to treat the scales and itching of psoriasis. An oral PDE4 inhibitor, apremilast (Otezla), is already widely used to treat psoriasis. 

AKP-02 is a drug in development designed to be used as a topical spray. It contains a mix of glucocorticosteroids and a form of vitamin D. AKP-02 is for those who have mild to moderate plaque psoriasis. Currently, the drug is in a phase III clinical trial. 

The FDA recently expanded the use of apremilast to all levels of psoriatic disease. This means that if the medicine is suitable for you, you can use it for all disease stages – mild, moderate, and severe plaque psoriasis. It’s especially good for people who have psoriasis in hard-to-treat areas.

Human umbilical cords contain stem cells called mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). These cells are strong and have self-renewing properties. In one small study, 17 people with psoriasis were given IVs of umbilical MSCs. They did not have side effects during treatment. At a 6-month follow-up, around 40% saw improvements. There needs to be more research on the potential use of stem cell therapy for psoriasis. 

Two phase III trials are looking at a biosimilar to ustekinumab (Stelara). APB-64 would be a biosimilar IL-12 and IL-23 antagonist treatment for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Biosimilars are typically cheaper versions of biologic drugs. 

Tapinarof cream 1% (Vtama), a once-daily topical nonsteroidal cream, is the first of its kind designed to treat mild to severe plaque psoriasis. In two 12-week studies, 4 in 10 people saw symptoms disappear after 12 weeks of therapy. In fact, symptoms didn’t come back for up to 4 months after the trial. The studies also show the drug may be suitable and safe for long-term use.

An analysis compared various phototherapy treatment combinations. All were found to be better at improving psoriasis symptoms than one therapy alone. But some stood out more than others. Researchers found combinations and variations of phototherapy with calcium and vitamin D derivatives to be most effective.