The holistic approach to psoriasis patients with comorbidities: the role of investigational drugs

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Psoriasis is a high-burden syndrome characterized by cutaneous and extracutaneous manifestations that profoundly reduce patients’ quality of life. The presence of concomitant comorbidities often represents a limit to the most appropriate psoriasis treatment that will be overcome by the development of drugs effective for diseases with common pathogenetic pathways.

Areas covered

The current review summarizes the latest findings on investigational drugs for psoriasis and their role on potentially concomitant diseases that share similar pathogenetic pathways.

Expert opinion

The development of novel drugs that target key-molecules in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including psoriasis, will impact on the reduction of polypharmacy and drug interaction with increased patients’ compliance to treatment, wellbeing, and quality of life. Certainly, the efficacy and safety profile of each novel agent must be defined and evaluated in real-life since the performance may vary according to comorbidities and their severity. Anyway, future is now, and research must continue in this direction.

KEYWORDS:

• biologics
• clinical trial
• comorbidity
• investigational
• JAK-inhibitor
• novel drug
• psoriasis
• small molecules

Article highlights

• Psoriasis is a complex disease frequently associated to multiple comorbidities that may restrain the therapeutic armamentarium.

• Hence, psoriasis patients are often undertreated with reduced quality of life.

• The possibility to treat more comorbidities together with common pathogenetic pathways represent the future milestone in psoriasis treatment.

• The consequences will be: reduced polypharmacy, drug interaction, and health costs; improved patient’s compliance to treatment, wellbeing, and quality of life.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties

Reviewer disclosures

One peer reviewer has been a consultant and investigator for most of the companies with psoriasis products. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no other relevant financial relationships or otherwise to disclose.

Authors’ contribution

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Elisa Camela, Luca Potestio and Matteo Megna. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Elisa Camela, Luca Potestio and Matteo Megna, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. All authors contributed equally to the manuscript and read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Data availability statement

Data available on request from the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.