Diploma PLC Release: Otezla® (apremilast) Receives Expanded Indication; Diplomat To Distribute
FLINT, Mich., Oct. 1, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Diplomat, the nation's largest independent specialty pharmacy, announced today that Otezla (apremilast) has been granted expanded approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Otezla® is an oral small-molecule inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4, or PDE4, specific for cyclic adenosine monophosphate. Diplomat is a member of a limited panel of specialty pharmacies able to dispense Otezla, a limited-distribution drug.
Otezla is the first PDE4 inhibitor approved for the treatment of plaque psoriasis. In clinical trials, Otezla reduced redness, thickness and scaliness of plaques in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin that affects more than 125 million people worldwide, with plaque psoriasis as the most common form of the disease. Plaque psoriasis is characterized by patches of red skin, often covered with loose, silver-colored scales which may be itchy and painful.
Otezla® was first approved by the FDA on March 21, 2014, as the first oral therapy available for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, a form of arthritis primarily affecting individuals who have been diagnosed with psoriasis. According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, approximately 30 percent of people with psoriasis will develop psoriatic arthritis.
Otezla® is manufactured for Celgene Corporation. Full prescribing information for Otezla® is available at the manufacturer's website.
To learn more, visit diplomat.is.
About Celgene Corporation
Celgene Corporation is an integrated global pharmaceutical company headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, focused on the development of innovative therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases.
About Diplomat
Diplomat serves patients and physicians in all 50 states as the nation's largest independent specialty pharmacy. Headquartered in Flint, Michigan, the company focuses on medication management programs for people with complex chronic diseases, including oncology, immunology, hepatitis, multiple sclerosis, HIV, specialized infusion therapy and many other serious or long-term conditions. Diplomat opened its doors in 1975 as a neighborhood pharmacy with one essential tenet: "Take good care of patients, and the rest falls into place." Today, that tradition continues always focused on improving patient care and clinical adherence. For more information visit www.diplomat.is. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn and like us on Facebook.
CONTACT:
Abigail Bearman, Diplomat
810.768.9563 | abearman@diplomat.is
Gary Rice, R.Ph., Diplomat
810.768.9863 | grice@diplomat.is
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SOURCE Diplomat