Drug U-turn is ‘milestone’ for arthritis
ANEWLY approved once-a-day tablet that helps control a debilitating form of arthritis has been hailed as ‘a milestone i n treatment’ by experts in the condition.
NHS prescribing watchdogs the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is recommending Otezla for patients with psoriatic arthritis who have failed to find relief from other treatments.
It’s a major U-turn by NICE, which ruled in September 2015 that Otezla was not cost-effective.
Psoriatic arthritis affects the skin and the joints and is suffered by about 300,000 Britons, typically aged between 30 and 50. It causes pain, stiffness and swelling but in the worst cases can cause joints to fuse.
The £550-a-month treatment was approved for the three per cent of Britons who suffer skin psoriasis in October last year.
Otezla, also known as apremilast, is a tablet which works by reducing an enzyme called phosphodiesterase 4 in cells, thereby dampening the inflammation which leads to symptoms.
A global study found that the drug reduced swelling in the joints and improved quality of life for patients, with 45 per cent of those taking it experiencing a 20 per cent improvement after 16 weeks.
Side effects included diarrhoea and nausea, though these were said to resolve in most cases. It also improved the skin symptoms of the condition – a scaly build-up known as psoriasis plaques.
Doctors and patient groups have welcomed the NICE U-turn. Rheumatologist Dr Helena Marzo-Ortega, consultant at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: ‘This is an important milestone in the management of this condition. It’s safe, easy to take and has few side effects.
‘And unlike other drugs such as methotrexate, Otezla does not need extra monitoring or regular blood tests.’
One sufferer who could soon be benefiting is Briton Pamela Relph, 27, the only athlete in the world to have won two Paralympic gold medals in rowing.
She was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis at the age of seven and it has left her with limited function and strength in her right hand after her wrist bones fused together.
Pamela said: ‘As well as joint problems, I get terrible fatigue. I am currently on methotrexate and when we’re in training, the whole team’s day off is scheduled for the day after I take it, when I feel dreadful and need to sleep.
‘Soon I will have to change medication so it’s brilliant that there is an effective new option for patients.’
Martin Sims, 66, from Basingstoke, Hampshire, who was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis 20 years ago, was on the five-year trial for apremilast. He said: ‘Over the years there has been a significant improvement in my symptoms. I no longer have aching joints or morning pain. There’s nothing I can’t do any more – I feel I’ve had a new lease of life.’