Lauren Miller, MPAS, PA-C

Focusing in on Novel Oral Systemic Therapies for Moderate Plaque Psoriasis: Medcast Video

03:15 The role of APP’s in getting patients access to dermatological care.

06:06 Managing patients with suboptimal controlled plaque psoriasis

13:05 Breaking down barriers to access new treatments for plaque psoriasis.

20:23 Deciding between oral and injectable systemic therapies.

24:25 The mechanism of action of TYK-2 inhibitors

28:24 The safety profile of deucravacitinib

33:14 Monitoring your patients with plaque psoriasis

Videos

Lauren Miller, MPAS, PA-C, leads an expert discussion surrounding exciting developments in the treatment landscape of plaque psoriasis.

developments in the treatment landscape of plaque psoriasis, novel oral systemic treatment options to alleviate the burden of this chronic disease.

A Patient-Centric Medcast on the Journey Through Moderate Plaque Psoriasis

07:48 Absence of treatment or under treatment of plaque psoriasis

12:50 Prescribing novel systemic medications in plaque psoriasis as an advanced practice provider

15:46 Classifying moderate disease in plaque psoriasis

19:43 Getting payer approval for your patients with plaque psoriasis

23:18 Novel oral systemic treatments for plaque psoriasis

25:03 Pivotal clinical trial data on deucravacitinib

27:58 Deciding on aprimilast versus deucravacitinib for your patients with plaque psoriasis

31:53 Mechanism of action of deucravacitinib

38:13 Selecting a therapy in the evolving treatment landscape for your patient with plaque psoriasis

43:08 Educating your patients on injectables and orals systemic treatments

Advanced practice providers in dermatology discuss exciting developments in the treatment landscape of plaque psoriasis. Listen to their insights into the often-challenging journey patients go on. The arrival of novel oral systemic treatment options offers opportunities to alleviate the burden of this chronic disease.

A Patient-Centric Medcast on The Journey Through Moderate Plaque Psoriasis

To watch the video series component of this episode, click here.

Podcasts

As we wrap up, you already mentioned one of my pearls. I was going to ask you: What are some practice pearls that you would offer to guide other dermatologists and employees who are treating plaque psoriasis and how they manage the disease for their patients? Do you have any key pearls that you like to use?

[My]key pearl is: Don’t be afraid to treat these patients. If you don’t know how to treat them, definitely send them to somebody who does. Reach out. There are so many resources. MSLs [medical science liaisons], too, are wonderful resources. Invite them into your office, sit down, have lunch, look at the data. Make those relationships and then peers too. And don’t be afraid to treat patients with psoriasis, but definitely educate yourself. It does take time and investment. It does. You’re investing in your patients, you’re investing in their care, and they’re depending on you because not everybody can do this either. And it’s very frustrating, but it’s a very important disease.

I find a lot of providers, even outside of maybe primary care. Obviously we have specialties, so we’re all in dermatology, but we all tend to have our niche where maybe we like psoriasis, maybe we like atopic dermatitis or acne. And so, you know, for providers who maybe this is not their wheelhouse, inflammatory diseases just maybe scare them, they’re overwhelming to them. All of the treatment options overwhelm them. What you spoke to was one of my pearls. If you don’t feel comfortable offering all of the options to the patient, send them to someone else in your clinic, send them to another colleague who you know does feel comfortable. Imagine they’re your sister or your mom or your dad or even yourself. You would want them to get every option possible. Another one of my pearls I spoke to earlier was just if this is something that is a little bit overwhelming and maybe you’re early on in your career and you’re trying to figure out “How can I start prescribing medications?”—pick your favorites. Maybe try one and utilize that one when you need a topical therapy that’s a nonsteroidal, when you need an oral therapy, when you need a biologic. Maybe pick 1 in each class so that you can get comfortable with what it does and the nuances behind it. And then you can start to slowly break out of that. And then finally, don’t forget about the joints. I think that’s big. And even us. It still can be very difficult even being seasoned 15, 20 years in practice. Don’t forget to check the joints or at least ask about joints. Look for the risk factors in the nails, the scalp, because you’re really doing those patients a disservice by forgetting to do that because this isn’t just skin deep. We know that they have inflammation going on beneath the surface that can affect other organ systems and their joints. And so those would probably be my pearls.

Yes, absolutely. And those are those are excellent pearls, because really, we are here to help those patients and follow up with them. They need a lot of support. You know, a lot of them have been traumatized because they haven’t had the help that they need for a long time. And they really need that support. So don’t just see them and…give them 2 of something and see them a couple of weeks later. Just follow up with them, make sure that their medications are working, make sure that they’re getting their medications through their specialty pharmacies. And if you have a question, reach out, find out.

Yes, that’s right. It’s perfectly fine.

I still have to do that.… It’s a constant learning journey.

It is. And it’s perfectly fine to say to a patient, “I don’t know, but I’ll get back to you.”

[Say,] “I haven’t encountered this. Let me let me reach out to a colleague who maybe has so that we can try to figure this out.”

Well, I thank you for joining me today. Thank you for joining us today for this 

Transcript is AI-generated and edited for clarity and readability.

Experts share practice pearls for managing patients with plaque psoriasis, highlighting the need to educate health care providers about any dermatologic therapy before they commit to treating a patient.

Lauren Miller, MPAS, PA-C

Articles