Apremilast reduces the number of oral ulcers in Behçet’s syndrome, results of a phase II trial show. 

The randomized placebo-controlled trial involved 111 patients in Turkey and the United States who were treated for 12-24 weeks.

The average number of oral ulcers at week 12 was significantly lower in the apremilast group (0.5) than in the placebo group (2.1), the researchers reported in the NEJM. 

However, this was a preliminary study that was neither large enough nor long enough to assess long-term efficacy, the effect on other manifestations of Behçet’s syndrome, or the risk of uncommon serious adverse events, the researchers noted.

The study was sponsored by Celgene.