The following is a summary of “One-year safety and efficacy of tapinarof cream for the treatment of plaque psoriasis: Results from the PSOARING 3 trial,” published in the October 2022 issue of Dermatology by Strober, et al.

Two 12-week phases 3 studies in persons with mild to severe plaque psoriasis found that tapinarof cream, a once-daily aryl hydrocarbon receptor-modulating drug, was considerably more effective than the vehicle and well tolerated. For a study, researchers sought to determine the long-term safety, effectiveness, remittive impact, longevity of response, and tolerance of tapinarof.

After completing the 12-week studies, patients were eligible for an open-label 40-week treatment period and a 4-week follow-up. On the basis of the Physician Global Assessment (PGA) score, treatment was decided. Tapinarof was administered to patients with PGA≥1 until PGA = 0. Patients who had PGA = 0 stopped taking tapinarof and were watched for remittive effects. Patients with PGA≥2 received further treatment until PGA = 0.

In all, 91.6% of the eligible patients (n = 763) were included; 40.9% of patients had full disease clearance (PGA = 0), and 58.2% of patients with PGA≥2 had PGA = 0 or 1. For patients reaching PGA = 0, the average off-therapy remittive effect lasted 130.1 days. There were no new warning signs of safety. Folliculitis (22.7%), contact dermatitis (5.5%), and upper respiratory tract infection (4.7%) were the most prevalent adverse effects.

With a full illness clearance rate of 40.9%, a 4-month off-treatment remittive effect, durability on therapy, and consistent safety, efficacy increased beyond the 12-week trials.

Reference: jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(22)02219-8/fulltext