Top 5 Psoriasis Stories DERM 2025 NP/PA Conference

The recent explosion of new drugs available for the treatment of patients with psoriasis has been well-documented in recent years among those working in the field of dermatology. From topicals to injectables, the field has seen a wide variety of new options for the treatment armamentarium.

In this summary, the HCPLive team highlights 5 examples of notable psoriasis-related coverage of the Dermatology Education Foundation (DERM) 2025 NP/PA CME Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. This list covers both new data featured at the conference on psoriasis drugs as well as on-site interviews with investigators of related data:

1. Highlighting Recent Topical Options for Psoriasis, with Linda Stein Gold, MD

In 1 notable story highlighted as part of DERM 2025 coverage, the HCPLive editorial team interviewed Linda Stein Gold, MD, of the Henry Ford Health System, who spoke with HCPLive about her session on the subject of topical options for those living with psoriasis. Stein Gold noted that potent topical steroids are not the solution to psoriasis, describing them as a short-term answer to a long-term solution.

“We have some non-steroidal options, and we're really excited about the new ones that we have,” Stein Gold said. “They've been around for a little while now. Tapinarof, which is an oral hydrocarbon receptor agonist that works inside the cell, has been shown to work even as monotherapy. Not only to get the disease under control, but to keep it under control…We also have topical roflumilast, which is a phosphodiesterase type 4 inhibitor. And we've seen PDE4 inhibitors in the past. But this one's different. It's very potent.”

2. Discussing Risankizumab Efficacy in Genital and Scalp Psoriasis, with Eingun James Song, MD

In another notable interview at DERM 2025, Eingun James Song, MD, spoke on 16-week results of the phase 4 UnlIMMited study and about the efficacy and safety of risankizumab for genital and scalp psoriasis. Song is known for his role as the director of clinical research at Frontier Dermatology in Mills Creek, Washington. He spoke about some of the most notable elements of the study’s design and about some of the most significant takeaways regarding risankizumab’s use in genital and scalp psoriasis.

“If you look at the genital population specifically, close to 7 out of 10 patients on risankizumab at the label dose got completely clear or almost clear," Song explained. "That's at 16 weeks. So very high efficacy for the scalp. It was about 60% of the patients who got to clear or almost clear. In my personal experience, generally, the scalp takes longer to clear than other parts of the body. So if I were to guess, these numbers could potentially get even better in the future when we show you that 52-week data.”

3. New Findings on Risankizumab for Genital and Scalp Psoriasis, with Eingun James Song, MD

In the second portion of his interview at DERM 2025, Eingun James Song, MD, highlighted additional takeaways from his team’s phase 4 research in the UnlIMMited study. In this interview, he was asked about some of the secondary endpoints and the implications of the study’s findings on risankizumab’s effects on scalp and genital psoriasis.

“For whatever reason, scalp psoriasis tends to be even itchier than other areas, and as a result, when we scratch the scalp, it Koebnerizes and makes it even harder to treat,” Song said. “But we did see high levels of itch reduction in the scalp population. Some people even got to the point where their itching, burning, redness, and pain went completely to zero, which wasn't statistically significant when he compared it to the placebo group. But still, we saw a very, very positive trend in favor of using risankizumab.”

4. Clinical Pearls on Systemic Agents for Psoriasis and Atopic Dermatitis, with J. Scott Boswell, MD

Another interview at DERM 2025 highlighted a session presented by dermatologist J. Scott Boswell, MD, who spoke about the most significant highlights of his sessions at the meeting. He touched on the ‘Combining Systemic Treatment in AD, Psoriasis and More’ talk at the conference first, with clinical pearls for clinicians in dermatology being explored during the discussion.

“Sometimes, there at the exam room door right, before we walk in, we're thinking, ‘Is this patient better with what I put them on or am I going to change treatment?’” Boswell said. “Sometimes we need to stick with the systemic treatment and adjust some topicals…Sometimes we need to combine and have them stay on their current therapy, but add another systemic agent that addresses the cytokines and pathophysiology that's going on in their skin.”

5. Discussing Strategies to Manage Chronic Itch Among Patients, with Adam Friedman, MD

Another story highlighted during DERM 2025 was an interview about chronic pruritus, a potential result of psoriasis, as well as the management of this symptom of disease. Adam Friedman, MD, who works as Professor, Chair of Dermatology, Residency Program Director, Director of Translational Research, and Director of the Supportive Oncodermatology Program in the George Washington University School of Medicine & Health’s Department of Dermatology, spoke about the topic and his own clinical pearls.

“We do have OTC and prescription options that are available to us,” Friedman said. “Probably the hottest thing out there is going to be your topical JAK inhibitors and PDE4 inhibitors, both of which have a unique influence on sensory neurons. Systemically, the take-home is that you should take a little from Aisle A, take a little from Aisle B, meaning go after neuropathic or nerve targeting therapies like SSRIs, gabapentinoids, in combination with anti-inflammatories. If it is a mixed picture, fortunately, we have some really amazing systemic agents that are meant to address inflammation but also will hit itch. I mentioned JAK inhibitors before, but we have a litany of biologics that target key cytokines or receptors that drive both inflammation and sensitization of those neurons.”

For more from DERM 2025, view the latest conference coverage.

References

1. Song EJ, Ackerman L, Anschutz T, et al. Safety and Efficacy of Risankizumab in Genital and Scalp Psoriasis in the UnlIMMited Phase 4 Randomized Clinical Trial at Week 16. Poster presented at the DERM 2025 NP/PA CME Conference; July 23 - 26, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada.