National Survey Reveals Insights into Emotional Impact of Psoriasis and Illuminates Need for New Topical Treatments

• 64% of adults with plaque psoriasis who are on topical treatments reported ever having psoriasis in intertriginous areas, higher than previous epidemiological studies suggest
• Around three in four people with symptoms in intertriginous areas reported a negative impact on their emotional wellbeing and nearly half reported their condition caused sexual distress and anxiety
• Nearly all respondents reported wanting topical treatment options that are more effective, are not steroids, and are simpler to use
• Two thirds of all respondents want a product that provides an improvement in plaques (68%) and itch relief (68%)

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., March 22, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQT), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing meaningful innovations in immuno-dermatology, today announced findings from the Skin Insights: Uncovering Psoriasis Survey, a national survey of 507 adults 18+ diagnosed with plaque psoriasis who are on topical treatments. The online survey was conducted by The Harris Poll and was designed to reveal insights into the emotional impact of the disease and challenges related to currently available topical treatments.

“The results from this survey illuminate the ongoing difficulties individuals with psoriasis are experiencing with their disease, as well as with their topical treatments,” said Frank Watanabe, President and CEO of Arcutis. “The insights for individuals with intertriginous psoriasis in particular are critical to increasing understanding of the significant negative impact the disease can have on emotional wellbeing, and the factors that may significantly contribute to overall disease burden for those living with psoriasis.”

The survey was conducted among 507 U.S. adults (18+) with psoriasis who use topical treatments but are not on biologics. Of the 507 people surveyed, a subset of 320 respondents reported having psoriasis in intertriginous areas at some point in time. Intertriginous areas include areas of skin-on-skin contact such as the armpits, under the breasts, stomach folds, between the buttocks, and in the groin area.

Key findings of the Skin Insights: Uncovering Psoriasis Survey

Individuals living with psoriasis want more effective and simpler to use topical treatment options.
While topical therapy continues to be the standard of care for the vast majority of people living with plaque psoriasis in the United States, there hasn't been an FDA approval for a topical psoriasis therapy with a novel mechanism of action in over 20 years.ⁱ When asked about what they wished for when it came to using topical treatments, among all people surveyed:

• 90% wish there were more effective topical treatment options
• 90% wish they could use a single topical therapy anywhere on their body
• 81% wish they had more topical treatment alternatives to steroids
• 68% want a product that provides both improvement in plaques and itch relief (68%).

Additionally, of the respondents with psoriasis in intertriginous areas, 52% said they needed to use different topical treatments for different parts of their body, and described doing so to be time consuming (54%), expensive (40%), and frustrating (38%).

There is a need for greater awareness, understanding, and identification of psoriasis that occurs in intertriginous areas.
The survey’s finding that 64% of respondents have experienced psoriasis in intertriginous areas at some point in time is significantly higher than past epidemiological studies have suggested. Psoriasis may look different in intertriginous areas than in other areas of the body, potentially making it challenging to recognize or diagnose. Two in 5 survey respondents with psoriasis in intertriginous areas (40%) did not recognize they had intertriginous psoriasis symptoms until they saw pictures of intertriginous plaques.

Psoriasis in intertriginous areas can have a profoundly negative emotional and sexual impact.

• Roughly three in four with psoriasis in intertriginous areas said dealing with psoriasis in these areas affected their wellbeing, including making them feel embarrassed (80%), anxious (79%), and depressed (69%).
• Nearly half of those with psoriasis in intertriginous areas (45%) reported a strong or very strong negative impact on sexual distress/anxiety, with more than a third reporting a negative impact on intimate relationships (39%) and sexual function (37%).

Most individuals with intertriginous psoriasis do not show their healthcare provider psoriasis in intertriginous areas of their body, suggesting a need for more dialogue between patients and their healthcare providers about the occurrence of psoriasis in intertriginous areas and treatment options.
Variability in exam routines include whether or not patients feel comfortable showing areas of skin that are “private” or covered by clothing, or whether or not patients are asked to disrobe.

• 64% of respondents with intertriginous disease avoid showing their healthcare providers intertriginous areas of their body, with the most common reason reported as embarrassment (27%). For example, psoriasis symptoms between the buttocks are the most common for these patients, yet 81% do not typically show this area of their body to their healthcare provider.
• In addition, 43% of intertriginous patients that use different treatments for different parts of their body report using treatments on areas of their skin they did not discuss with their healthcare provider, and 31% of those with intertriginous psoriasis report using treatments for longer than prescribed by their healthcare provider.

“Psoriasis in intertriginous areas can be especially challenging for both those living with this condition as well as for their healthcare providers. People are either unaware or embarrassed about their psoriasis in these areas and shy away from showing or discussing their symptoms during an examination,” stated Dr. Teri Greiling, MD, PhD, Associate Professor and Vice-Chair of Dermatology Oregon Health & Science University. “As a result, not only will patients continue to struggle with their physical symptoms, but also often experience psychological and emotional distress due to their condition. These survey results underscore the need for a more open dialogue between patients and their healthcare providers when it comes to the management of psoriasis in intertriginous areas.”

For more information and additional findings from the survey please visit https://www.arcutis.com/meaningful-innovation/plaque-psoriasis/.

About Psoriasis
Psoriasis is a common, non-contagious, immune-mediated skin disease that affects more than 8.6 million people in the United States. The majority of patients develop “plaques,” or raised, red areas of skin covered with a silver or white layer of dead skin cells. Psoriatic plaques are often itchy and sometimes painful, and can appear on any area of the body. Plaques in certain anatomical areas present unique treatment challenges, including the face, elbows and knees, scalp, and intertriginous areas (where two skin areas may touch or rub together.)

About the Harris Poll Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Arcutis Biotherapeutics among U.S. adults 18+ who have been diagnosed with psoriasis by a healthcare provider. The survey was conducted October 21 through November 24, 2021 among 507 plaque psoriasis patients who are on topical treatments but not biologics. Figures were weighted where necessary to bring the data into line with actual proportions in the population using a multi-step weighting process.

Step 1: The initial total opt-in online sample of all US adults age 18+ was weighted to population benchmarks from the March 2020 Current Population Survey. The natural fall-out sample of qualified respondents was 247 out of 9,584 U.S. age 18+ adults.

Step 2: The total combined sample of 507 plaque psoriasis patients from two sample sources, which included the Gen Pop sample from Step 1 and a second sample targeted to those with Psoriasis, was weighted using the estimated demographic distributions of the initial weighted opt-in online subset sample of plaque psoriasis patients from Step 1.

The variables included in the algorithm for both steps were education, age by gender, race/ethnicity, census region, household size, and marital status. A propensity score variable was also included to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. Raked weights were estimated using Random Iterative Method (RIM) weighting. The respondent level weights from Step 2 were used as the final weights.

About Arcutis
Arcutis Biotherapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARQT) is a medical dermatology company that champions meaningful innovation to address the urgent needs of patients living with immune-mediated dermatological diseases and conditions. With a commitment to solving the most persistent patient challenges in dermatology, Arcutis harnesses our unique dermatology development platform coupled with our dermatology expertise to build differentiated therapies against biologically validated targets. Arcutis’ dermatology development platform includes a robust pipeline with multiple clinical programs for a range of inflammatory dermatological conditions. For more information, visit www.arcutis.com or follow Arcutis on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Contacts:
Media
Amanda Sheldon, Head of Corporate Communications
asheldon@arcutis.com

Investors
Eric McIntyre, Head of Investor Relations
emcintyre@arcutis.com

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ⁱ Arcutis Data on File

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