Tapinarof Cream 1% Led to Rapid Improvements in Itch for Adults With Mild to Severe Plaque Psoriasis

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A recent study, presented in a poster at the 2023 Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants fall conference in Nashville, TN, highlighted the potential of tapinarof Cream 1% in rapidly alleviating itch in patients with mild to severe plaque psoriasis.¹

The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of tapinarof Cream 1% in improving itch in adults with plaque psoriasis. Previously, it has shown promise in the treatment of psoriasis in children and atopic dermatitis in both adults and children.

The research, conducted in two pivotal phase 3 trials known as PSOARING 1 and PSOARING 2, assessed several patient-reported methods for itch evaluation. These methods included the Peak Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale (PP-NRS), the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and the Psoriasis Symptom Diary (PSD).

Change in PP-NRS Score from Baseline at Weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12

The reduction in itch assessed by PP-NRS was rapid with tapinarof versus the vehicle cream. The improvement was statistically significant as early as week 2 in PSOARING 1 and 2, respectively. By week 12, the average change from baseline was -3.9 versus -2.9 in PSOARING 1 and -3.0 versus -1.4 in PSOARING 2.

Change in DLQI Item 1 Rating from Baseline at Weeks 4 and 12

Significant improvements were observed by week 4, with average changes of -1.0 versus -0.7 in PSOARING 1 and -0.9 versus -0.3 (P<0.0001) in PSOARING 2 by week 12.

Change in PSD Itch Severity Item Rating from Baseline at Weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12

Itch severity was rapidly reduced with tapinarof versus the vehicle cream, with statistically significant improvements as early as week 4 in PSOARING 1 and week 2 in PSOARING 2. By week 12, severity had decreased by -3.9 versus -2.9 and -3.1 versus -1.4 from baseline in PSOARING 1 and 2, respectively.

Change in PSD Itch Bother Item Rating from Baseline at Weeks 2, 4, 8, and 12

Patients reported significantly less bothersome itch symptoms with tapinarof versus the vehicle cream by week 2 in PSOARING 1 and 2, respectively. Improvements were significant versus the vehicle cream at all evaluations, reaching changes of -3.9 versus -2.9 and -3.0 versus -1.1 from baseline at week 12 in PSOARING 1 and 2.

Tapinarof cream 1% was well-tolerated by patients, with mostly mild to moderate treatment-emergent adverse events and low discontinuation rates due to side effects.

"Tapinarof cream 1% QD demonstrated rapid, clinically meaningful, and statistically significant improvements in itch across multiple outcome measures, from the earliest visit at week 2 through week 12, in the phase 3 pivotal trials," according to study authors Kircik et al. "Achieving an itch-free state is an essential target for decreasing the burden of disease and improving HRQoL for patients with plaque psoriasis."

Reference

1. Kircik L, Zirwas M, Kwatra S. Rapid improvements in itch with tapinarof cream 1% once daily in two phase 3 trials in adults with mild to severe plaque psoriasis. Poster presented at the 2023 Society of Dermatology Physician Assistants Fall Conference, October 26-29; Nashville, TN.

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