BACKGROUND: Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor that is being 
investigated for psoriasis. Psoriasis impacts on physical and psychological 
well-being; improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) with 
etanercept in psoriasis are well documented.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate HRQoL with tofacitinib, vs. placebo or etanercept, in the 
Phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled, non-inferiority, Oral-treatment 
Psoriasis Trial (OPT) Compare Study (NCT01241591).
METHODS: Adults with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis were randomized 
3:3:3:1 to tofacitinib 10 or 5 mg twice daily (BID), etanercept 50 mg twice 
weekly or placebo, for 12 weeks. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) included 
Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Itch Severity Item and Patient Global 
Assessment of psoriasis.
RESULTS: At baseline, 83.4% (911/1092) of patients had a DLQI score ranging 
between 6 and 30, indicating a substantial burden of disease. By Week 12, 47.3%, 
43.6% and 30.9% of patients in the tofacitinib 10 mg BID, etanercept and 
tofacitinib 5 mg BID groups, respectively, had a DLQI score of 0 or 1 (no effect 
of psoriasis on QoL) vs. 7.8% for placebo (all P < 0.0001). Tofacitinib 
significantly reduced itch vs. placebo (P < 0.05 both doses) and etanercept (P < 
0.0001 both doses) within 1 day of starting treatment. Furthermore, reductions 
in itch were greater with tofacitinib 10 mg BID, vs. etanercept, at Weeks 2-12 
(all time points P < 0.05). At Week 2, an Itch Severity Item score of 'little or 
no itch' was more frequent with tofacitinib 10 mg (68.6%) vs. etanercept (57.4%) 
and placebo (12.2%), and the PtGA response rate was significantly greater with 
tofacitinib 10 mg vs. placebo (P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION: Oral tofacitinib provided significant improvements across multiple 
PROs by Week 12. Improvements with tofacitinib 10 mg BID were comparable to 
etanercept, and improvements in itch were greater and more rapid with 
tofacitinib 10 mg BID.