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Apremilast — SCE Dermatology MCQ

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HardDermatopharmacologyApremilastSCE Dermatology

A 55-year-old woman with psoriasis asks about Apremilast. What is the mechanism of Apremilast and what are its most common side effects?

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Correct answer: D — Oral phosphodiesterase-4 inhibition; gastrointestinal upset and weight loss

The best answer is “Oral phosphodiesterase-4 inhibition; gastrointestinal upset and weight loss”. NICE recommends treatment matched to severity, high-impact sites, functional burden, comorbidity and prior response; narrowband UVB is a finite specialist option for plaque or guttate psoriasis that topical therapy cannot control. The alternatives “Oral Janus-kinase inhibition; infection and laboratory abnormalities”, “Oral calcineurin inhibition; hypertension and renal impairment”, “Oral retinoid-receptor activation; cheilitis and teratogenicity”, “Oral fumarate-pathway modulation; flushing and gastrointestinal upset” are clinically adjacent possibilities, but they do not fit the defining morphology, distribution, histopathology, risk signal or management sequence in this stem.

Reference: NICE CG153 psoriasis recommendations: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg153/chapter/Recommendations