Nov. 21, 2019: Amgen announced the successful completion of its acquisition of worldwide rights to Otezla® (apremilast), the only oral, non-biologic treatment for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and also used for the treatment of adult patients with oral ulcers allied with Behçet’s Disease.
Otezla was received from Celgene Corporation from previously announced merger with BMS which was completed on Nov. 20.
Drug approved in the European Union and Japan including 50 other markets. 30 mg tablets of OTEZLA is an oral small-molecule inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) specific for cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP).
This inhibition results in increased intracellular cAMP levels, which is thought to indirectly regulate the production of inflammatory mediators. Old patients (65 years or more )and patients taking medications that can lead to volume depletion or hypotension may be at a high risk complications from severe diarrhea, nausea, or vomiting. https://www.amgen.com/media/news-releases/2019/11/amgen-completes-acquisition-of-otezla-apremilast/
