APRICOT Trial Protocol Published

The open access paper provides details of the study, which is testing a potential new treatment for Palmo-Plantar Pustulosis (PPP).

A new paper has just been published describing the protocol for the APRICOT trial. APRICOT, which stands for Anakinra for Pustular psoriasis: Response in a Controlled Trial, is a trial to test a potential new drug treatment (Anakinra) for Palmo-Plantar Pustulosis (PPP) - pustular psoriasis of the palms of the hands and/or soles of the feet.

The paper is open access, which means it is available to view free of charge and without any barriers. You can read it here.

About APRICOT

APRICOT is a clinical trial based at Guy’s Hospital, London, led by Professor Catherine Smith at St John’s Institute of Dermatology. The trial is testing whether the medication Anakinra is effective at treating PPP.

Recent research has shown that PPP may be caused by an abnormal pathway in the body's immune system, involving a protein called interleukin-1 (IL-1). Anakinra specifically blocks this IL-1 pathway. Daily treatment (injections) with Anakinra may therefore prove to be an effective way of reducing PPP symptoms. Anakinra is already licensed for use in other inflammatory conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis) and has a good safety profile.

APRICOT collaborators, including the Psoriasis Association, have been involved in the project from the beginning and will also be instrumental in influencing its direction as part of the trial management group.

APRICOT is sponsored by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and is funded by the Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) Programme, an MRC and NIHR partnership.

January 2020 update - Please note that the APRICOT trial has now reached its recruitment target and is no longer actively recruiting new participants.