Most prescribed branded topical treatment for plaque psoriasis in adults*

The science

The active ingredient in VTAMA cream is called tapinarof.
Tapinarof is proven to have a therapeutic response in plaque
psoriasis by supporting the natural pathways that are regulated by
Aryl hydrocarbon Receptors.^5,12

Please note, the specific mechanisms by which VTAMA cream
exerts its therapeutic action in patients with psoriasis are unknown.

Mechanism of Disease

About Tapinarof

The mechanism of disease in plaque psoriasis

Plaque psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated skin disorder where several mechanisms in the skin become dysregulated, leading to chronic inflammation and¹³:

Immune cell response

Th17 immune cells are elevated, leading to the overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-17A and IL-17F.^12,14

Skin barrier dysfunction

Proinflammatory cytokines promote excessive growth of keratinocytes and reduce production of proteins that are essential for the skin's barrier function.^15,16

Oxidative stress

Sustained inflammation causes excessive production of reactive oxygen species and decreased antioxidant levels, exacerbating oxidative damage.¹⁷

What’s the role of the Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR)

AhR is a ligand-dependent transcription factor that regulates diverse, multifunctional pathways. It plays an important balancing role in skin homeostasis. AhR signaling may help restore order and balance to the dysregulated mechanisms in plaque psoriasis because¹²:

AhR suppresses Th17 cell differentiation and production of key cytokines, such as IL-17 and IL-22¹³

AhR upregulates the production of skin barrier proteins to restore skin barrier function¹²

AhR induces the Nrf2 transcription factor pathway to increase antioxidant activity¹⁸

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Efficacy

Learn more about the significant treatment success rate of VTAMA cream vs vehicle

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References: 1. Dermavant DOF [MyVTAMA Pharmacy Count; Jan 2023]. 2. VTAMA (tapinarof) cream, 1%. Prescribing Information. Dermavant; 2022. 3. Strober B, Stein Gold L, Bissonnette R, et al. One-year safety and efficacy of tapinarof cream for the treatment of plaque psoriasis: results from the PSOARING 3 trial. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2022;87(4):800-806. 4. Stein Gold L, Kircik L, Lebwohl M, et al. Tapinarof cream 1% once daily for plaque psoriasis: favorable local tolerability in two pivotal phase 3 trials. Poster presented at: Innovations in Dermatology Conference; March 16–20, 2021; virtual. 5. Lebwohl M, Stein Gold L, Strober B, et al. Phase 3 trials of tapinarof cream for plaque psoriasis. N Engl J Med. 2021;385(24):2219-2229. 6. Dermavant DOF. CSR-DMVT-505-3001. A phase 3 efficacy and safety study of tapinarof for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults. 2020. 7. Dermavant DOF. CSR-DMVT-505-3002. A phase 3 efficacy and safety study of tapinarof for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults. 2020. 8. Stein Gold L, Blauvelt A, Armstrong A, et al. Tapinarof cream 1% once daily for plaque psoriasis: secondary efficacy outcomes from two pivotal phase 3 trials. Poster presented at: International Federation of Psoriasis Associations; June 30–July 3, 2021; virtual. 9. Dermavant DOF. PSOARING Patient Images. 2022. 10. Bissonnette R, Strober B, Lebwohl M, et al. Tapinarof cream 1% once daily for plaque psoriasis: patient-reported outcomes from two pivotal phase 3 trials. Poster presented at: American Academy of Dermatology; March 19–23, 2021; San Francisco, CA. 11. Dermavant DOF. CSP-DMVT-505-3001. A phase 3 efficacy and safety study of tapinarof for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults. 2019. 12. Bissonnette R, Stein Gold L, Rubenstein DS, Tallman AM, Armstrong A. Tapinarof in the treatment of psoriasis: a review of the unique mechanism of action of a novel therapeutic aryl hydrocarbon receptor—modulating agent. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2021;84(4):1059-1067. 13. Smith SH, Jayawickreme C, Rickard DJ, et al. Tapinarof is a natural AhR agonist that resolves skin inflammation in mice and humans. J Invest Dermatol. 2017;137:2110-2119. 14. Greb JE, Goldminz AM, Elder JT, et al. Psoriasis. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2016;2:16082. 15. Rendon A, Schäkel K. Psoriasis pathogenesis and treatment. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(6):1475. 16. Kim BE, Howell MD, Guttman E, et al. TNF-α downregulates filaggrin and loricrin through c-Jun N-terminal kinase: role for TNF-α antagonists to improve skin barrier. J Invest Dermatol. 2011;131:1272-1279. 17. Cannavò SP, Riso G, Casciaro M, Di Salvo E, Gangemi S. Oxidative stress involvement in psoriasis: a systematic review. Free Radic Res. 2019;53(8):829-840. 18. Dietrich C. Antioxidant functions of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor. Stem Cell Int. 2016:7943495. 19. Dermavant DOF. The effect of GSK2894512 on the Th2 polarization of human CD4+ T cells and on IL-8 release from TLR2-stimulated keratinocytes. 2015. 20. Bissonnette R, Poulin Y, Zhou Y, et al. Efficacy and safety of topical WBI-1001 in patients with mild to severe atopic dermatitis: results from a 12-week multicentre, randomized, placebo-controlled double-blind trial. Br J Derm. 2012;166(4):853-860. 21. Bagel J, Stein Gold L, Del Ross J, et al. Tapinarof cream 1% once daily for the treatment of plaque psoriasis: Patient-reported outcomes from the PSOARING 3 trial. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2023;89:936-44. 22. Dermavant DOF. GSK2894512A: Formulation Development Report. 2018. 23. Sofen H, Tyring S, Johnson SM, et al. Efficacy of tapinarof cream 1% once daily for the treatment of mild to severe intertriginous plaque psoriasis. Poster presented at: Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference; October 19-22, 2023; Las Vegas, NV. 24. Sofen H, Tyring S, Johnson SM, et al. Tapinarof cream 1% once daily improves patient-reported outcomes in the treatment of mild to severe intertriginous plaque psoriasis. Poster presented at: Fall Clinical Dermatology Conference; October 19-22, 2023; Las Vegas, NV. 25. Dermavant DOF. DMVT-505-4001 iPsO Patient Images. 2023 26. Strober B, Stein Gold L, Bissonnette R, et al. One-year safety and efficacy of tapinarof cream for the treatment of plaque psoriasis: Results from the PSOARING 3 trial. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2022; 87:800-806. 27. Dermavant DOF. CSR-DMVT-505-3003. A long-term, open-label extension study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of tapinarof cream, 1% for the treatment of plaque psoriasis in adults. 2021. 28. Dermavant DOF. PSOARING 3 entering with or achieving PGA 0 or 1; Jan 2024. 29. Stein Gold L, Lewitt GM, Lockshin B, et al. Tapinarof cream 1% once daily is efficacious in the treatment of mild to severe plaque psoriasis in the head and neck region. Poster presented at: Winter Clinical Dermatology Conference; January 12-17, 2024; Honolulu, HI. 30. Lewitt GM, Stein Gold L, Lockshin B, et al. Tapinarof 1% cream improves patient-reported outcomes in the treatment of mild to severe plaque psoriasis in the head and neck region. Poster presented at: Winter Clinical Dermatology Conference; January 12-17, 2024; Honolulu, HI. 31. Dermavant DOF. 4002 Head & Neck Plaque Psoriasis Phase 4. 2023.

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