Phase 3b Safety and Efficacy Study of Apremilast to Treat Moderate to Severe Plaque-plaque Psoriasis

Browse trials for

• Arthritis 3,554
• Arthritis, Psoriatic 579
• Psoriasis 1,899

Keywords

• Psoriasis
• arthritis
• psoriatic
• palmoplantar
• scalp
• psoriasis pill
• psoriasis tablet
• plaque psoriasis
• plaque type psoriasis
• moderate to severe plaque type psoriasis
• psoriatic arthritis

Arthritis

3,554 studies on the registry are indexed under Arthritis; 317 are open to participants now.

This study's enrollment of 250 is above the median of 90 across 2,377 interventional studies indexed under Arthritis.

Lead sponsor

Amgen is the lead sponsor of 1,015 studies on the registry; 49 are open to participants now.

Of its 245 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 159 (65%) have results posted.

Study arms

• Experimental
  Apremilast 30 mg plus placebo injection

  Apremilast 30 mg tablets orally twice a day (BID) plus once weekly (QW) evaluator/subject-blinded subcutaneous (SC) saline (placebo) injections

  Drug: Apremilast · Drug: Placebo injection

• Experimental
  Etanercept 50 mg plus placebo tablet

  Etanercept 50 mg evaluator/subject-blinded SC QW injections plus placebo tablets orally BID

  Drug: Etanercept · Drug: Placebo tablet

• Placebo comparator
  Oral placebo tablets plus SC placebo injections

  Identically matching placebo tablets and evaluator/subject-blinded SC injections

  Drug: Placebo tablet · Drug: Placebo injection

Interventions

• DrugApremilast

  Apremilast 30 mg tablet orally BID

  Also known as: CC-10004, Otezla

• DrugEtanercept

  Etanercept 50 mg evaluator/subject-blinded SC QW injection

  Also known as: Enbrel

• DrugPlacebo tablet

  Placebo tablets BID

• DrugPlacebo injection

  Once weekly evaluator/subject-blinded SC placebo (1 mL x 2 injections SC)

Primary outcomes

1. Percentage of Participants Who Achieved a 75% Improvement (Response) in the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI-75) for the Comparison Between Apremilast and Placebo at Week 16 From Baseline

   PASI-75 response is the percentage of participants who achieved at least a 75% reduction (improvement) from baseline in PASI score at Week 16. The improvement in PASI score was used as a measure of efficacy. The PASI was a measure of psoriatic disease severity taking into account qualitative lesion characteristics (erythema, thickness, and scaling) and degree of skin surface area involvement on defined anatomical regions. PASI scores range from 0 to 72, with higher scores reflecting greater disease severity. Erythema, thickness, and scaling are scored on a scale of 0 (none) to 4 (very severe) on 4 anatomic regions of the body: head, trunk, upper limbs, and lower limbs. Degree of involvement on each of the 4 anatomic regions is scored on a scale of 0 (no involvement) to 6 (90% to 100% involvement). The PASI score was set to missing if any severity score or degree of involvement was missing.

   Time frame: Baseline to Week 16

Secondary outcomes

1. Percentage of Participants Who Achieved a 75% Improvement (Response) in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) for the Comparison Between Etanercept 50mg SC QW and Placebo at Week 16

   PASI-75 response is the percentage of participants who achieved at least a 75% reduction (improvement) from baseline in PASI score at Week 16. The improvement in PASI score was used as a measure of efficacy. The PASI was a measure of psoriatic disease severity taking into account qualitative lesion characteristics (erythema, thickness, and scaling) and degree of skin surface area involvement on defined anatomical regions. PASI scores range from 0 to 72, with higher scores reflecting greater disease severity. Erythema, thickness, and scaling are scored on a scale of 0 (none) to 4 (very severe) on 4 anatomic regions of the body: head, trunk, upper limbs, and lower limbs. Degree of involvement on each of the 4 anatomic regions is scored on a scale of 0 (no involvement) to 6 (90% to 100% involvement). The PASI score was set to missing if any severity score or degree of involvement was missing.

   Time frame: Baseline and Week 16

2. Percentage of Participants Who Achieved a Static Physician Global Assessment (sPGA) Score of Clear (0) or Almost Clear (1) With at Least 2 Points Reduction for Comparison Between Apremilast and Placebo and Etanercept and Placebo at Week 16

   The sPGA is an assessment by the Investigator of the overall disease severity at the time of evaluation. The sPGA is a 5-point scale ranging from 0 (clear) to 4 (severe), incorporating an assessment of the severity of the three primary signs of the disease: erythema, scaling and plaque elevation. When making the assessment of overall severity, the Investigator should factor in areas that have already been cleared (ie, have scores of 0) and not just evaluate remaining lesions for severity, ie, the severity of each sign is averaged across all areas of involvement, including cleared lesions. In the event of different severities across disease signs, the sign that is the predominant feature of the disease should be used to help determine the sPGA score.

   Time frame: Baseline and Week 16

3. Percent Change From Baseline in the Affected Body Surface Area (BSA) for Comparison Between Apremilast and Placebo and Etanercept and Placebo at Week 16

   BSA is a measurement of involved skin. The overall BSA affected by psoriasis was estimated based on the palm area of the participant's hand (entire palmar surface or "handprint" including the fingers), which equates to approximately 1% of total body surface area. BSA percent change from baseline was determined at each visit of the study, and is calculated as 100\*(post-baseline BSA - baseline BSA) / baseline BSA.

   Time frame: Baseline to Week 16

4. Percentage of Participants Who Achieved a 50% Improvement (Response) in the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI-50) for Comparison Between Apremilast and Placebo and Etanercept and Placebo at Week 16

   PASI-50 response is the percentage of participants who achieved at least a 50% reduction (improvement) from baseline in PASI score at Week 16. The PASI score was a measure of psoriatic disease severity taking into account qualitative lesion characteristics (erythema, thickness, and scaling) and degree of skin surface area involvement on defined anatomical regions. PASI scores range from 0 to 72, with higher scores reflecting greater disease severity. Erythema, thickness, and scaling are scored on a scale of 0 (none) to 4 (very severe) on 4 anatomic regions of the body: head, trunk, upper limbs, and lower limbs. Degree of involvement on each of the 4 anatomic regions is scored on a scale of 0 (no involvement) to 6 (90% to 100% involvement). The PASI score was set to missing if any severity score or degree of involvement was missing.

   Time frame: Baseline to Week 16

5. Change From Baseline in Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) Total Score In Comparison Between Apremilast and Placebo and Etanercept and Placebo at Week 16

   DLQI is a simple, compact, and practical questionnaire for use in a dermatology clinical setting to assess limitations related to the impact of skin disease. The instrument contains ten items dealing with the participant's skin. With the exception of Item Number 7, the participant responds on a four-point scale, ranging from "Very Much" (score 3) to "Not at All" or "Not relevant" (score 0). Item Number 7 is a multi-part item, the first part of which ascertains whether the participant's skin prevented them from working or studying (Yes or No, scores 3 or 0 respectively), and if "No," then the participant is asked how much of a problem the skin has been at work or study over the past week, with response alternatives being "A lot," "A little," or "Not at all" (scores 2, 1, or 0 respectively). The DLQI total score is derived by summing all item scores, which has a possible range of 0 to 30, with 30 corresponding to the worst quality of life, and 0 corresponding to the best.

   Time frame: Baseline to Week 16

6. Change From Baseline in the Mental Component Summary (MCS) Score of the Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36-item (SF-36) Health Survey Version 2.0 in Comparison Between Apremilast and Placebo and Etanercept and Placebo at Week 16

   The SF-36 is a 36-item general health status instrument and consists of 8 scales: physical function (PF), role limitations-physical (RP), vitality (VT), general health perceptions (GH), bodily pain (BP), social function (SF), role limitations-emotional (RE), and mental health (MH). Scale scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better health. Scores from the 8 scales were transformed to the norm-based scores using weights from U.S. general population to have a mean of 50 and variance = 10, with higher scores indicating better health. From these 8 scale, two overall summary scores were obtained - a Physical Component Summary score (PCS) and a Mental Component Summary score (MCS), both having the same mean of 50 and variance = 10 as noted for the individual scales for the U.S. general population, and with higher scores indicating better health. For MCS, change from baseline was calculated, where change = visit value - baseline value.

   Time frame: Baseline to Week 16

7. Percentage of Participants Who Achieved a Lattice System Physician's Global Assessment (LS-PGA) Score of Clear (0) or Almost Clear at Week 16 in Comparison Between Apremilast and Placebo and Etanercept and Placebo at Week 16

   The Lattice System Physician's Global Assessment is a global assessment performed by the investigator of psoriasis severity. Integrating ranges of BSA involvement with assessments of overall plaque severity (using a 4 point scale from none to marked for the signs of plaque elevation, erythema and scale), the LS-PGA produces an overall assessment of psoriasis severity on an 8-point scale, ranging from clear to very severe. To determine the final score, the lattice portion is governed by the BSA and among the plaque qualities, weights plaque elevation as most important, erythema next, and scale least.

   Time frame: Baseline to Week 16

8. Number of Participants With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAE) During the Placebo-Controlled Phase

   A TEAE is an AE with a start date on or after the date of the first dose of study drug and no later than 28 days after the last dose of study drug for participants who discontinued early. An AE is any noxious, unintended, or untoward medical occurrence that may appear or worsen during the study. It may be a new intercurrent illness, a worsening concomitant illness, an injury, or any concomitant impairment of the patient's health, including laboratory test values, regardless of etiology. Any worsening (ie, clinically significant adverse change in frequency or intensity of a preexisting condition) should be considered an AE. A serious AE (SAE) is any untoward AE that is fatal, life-threatening, results in persistent or significant disability or incapacity, requires or prolongs existing in-patient hospitalization, is a congenital anomaly/birth defect, or is a condition that may jeopardize or may require intervention to prevent one of the outcomes above.

   Time frame: Week 0 to Week 16; mean duration of exposure was 14.90 weeks for placebo group, 15.13 weeks for apremilast group and 15.87 weeks for Etanercept group

9. Number of Participants With Treatment Emergent Adverse Events (TEAE) During the Apremilast-exposure Period

   A TEAE in the apremilast-exposure phase is an AE with a start date on or after the date of the first dose of study drug and no later than 28 days after the last dose of study drug. An AE is any noxious, unintended, or untoward medical occurrence that may appear or worsen during the study. It may be a new intercurrent illness, a worsening concomitant illness, an injury, or any concomitant impairment of the subject's health, including laboratory test values, regardless of etiology. Any worsening (ie, any clinically significant adverse change in the frequency or intensity of a preexisting condition) should be considered an AE. A serious AE (SAE) is any untoward AE that is fatal, life-threatening, results in persistent or significant disability or incapacity, requires or prolongs existing in-patient hospitalization, is a congenital anomaly/birth defect, or is a condition that may jeopardize or may require intervention to prevent one of the outcomes listed above.

   Time frame: From the first dose of apremilast (either Week 0 for participants originally randomized to apremilast or Week 16 for those originally randomized to placebo or etanercept who were switched to apremilast at week 16) until 28 days after last apremilast dose

10. Psoriasis Flare/Rebound

    Psoriasis flare is an AE and represents an atypical or unusual worsening of disease during treatment. It is defined as a sudden intensification of psoriasis requiring medical intervention or a diagnosis of new generalized erythrodermic, inflammatory, or pustular psoriasis. Rebound is an AE and is defined as a severe and sudden worsening of disease that occurs after treatment has been discontinued. This exacerbation is characterized by a PASI ≥125% of baseline or a new generalized pustular, erythrodermic, or more inflammatory psoriasis after stopping therapy.

    Time frame: Week 0 to Week 16; Placebo controlled phase

11. Psoriasis Flare/Rebound

    Psoriasis flare is an AE and represents an atypical or unusual worsening of disease during treatment. It is defined as a sudden intensification of psoriasis requiring medical intervention or a diagnosis of new generalized erythrodermic, inflammatory, or pustular psoriasis. Rebound is an AE and is defined as a severe and sudden worsening of disease that occurs after treatment has been discontinued. This exacerbation is characterized by a PASI ≥125% of baseline or a new generalized pustular, erythrodermic, or more inflammatory psoriasis after stopping therapy. PASI ≥125% of baseline score at any visit after the last dose date for those who discontinued within the phase.

    Time frame: From the first dose of apremilast (either Week 0 or Week 16 for participants originally randomized to placebo or etanercept who were switched at Week 16) until 28 days after the last dose of apremilast.

Baseline characteristics

Publications

• Reich K, Mrowietz U, Menter A, Griffiths CEM, Bagel J, Strober B, Nunez Gomez N, Shi R, Guerette B, Lebwohl M. Effect of baseline disease severity on achievement of treatment target with apremilast: results from a pooled analysis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2021 Dec;35(12):2409-2414. doi: 10.1111/jdv.17520. Epub 2021 Aug 23. PubMed 34255891 ↗
• Reich K, Gooderham M, Green L, Bewley A, Zhang Z, Khanskaya I, Day RM, Goncalves J, Shah K, Piguet V, Soung J. The efficacy and safety of apremilast, etanercept and placebo in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis: 52-week results from a phase IIIb, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (LIBERATE). J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2017 Mar;31(3):507-517. doi: 10.1111/jdv.14015. Epub 2016 Dec 19. PubMed 27768242 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Yes — De-identified individual patient data for variables necessary to address the specific research question in an approved data sharing request

Supporting information: Study protocol, Sap, Icf, Csr