Roflumilast, sold under the brand name Daxas among others, is a medication used for the treatment of

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. GOLD defines COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory s ...

plaque psoriasis Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by patches of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small localized patches to complete b ...

seborrheic dermatitis Seborrhoeic dermatitis (also spelled seborrheic dermatitis in American English) is a long-term skin disorder. Symptoms include flaky, scaly, greasy, and occasionally itchy and inflamed skin. Areas of the skin rich in sebum, oil-producing gland ...

, and

atopic dermatitis Atopic dermatitis (AD), also known as atopic eczema, is a long-term type of inflammation of the skin. Atopic dermatitis is also often called simply eczema but the same term is also used to refer to dermatitis, the larger group of skin conditi ...

. It acts as a selective, long-acting inhibitor of the enzyme phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE-4). It has

anti-inflammatory Anti-inflammatory is the property of a substance or treatment that reduces inflammation, fever or swelling. Anti-inflammatory drugs, also called anti-inflammatories, make up about half of analgesics. These drugs reduce pain by inhibiting mechan ...

effects. It was approved for medical use in the European Union in 2010, in the United States in 2011, and in Canada in 2017. It is available as a

generic medication A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was originally protected by chemical patents. Generic drugs are allowed for sale after the patents on the original drugs expire. Because the active ch ...

Medical uses

Roflumilast is

indicated In medicine, an indication is a valid reason to use a certain test, medication, procedure, or surgery. There can be multiple indications to use a procedure or medication. An indication can commonly be confused with the term diagnosis. A diagnosis ...

for the treatment of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), plaque

psoriasis Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by patches of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small localized patches to complete b ...

, seborrheic dermatitis, and atopic dermatitis, It is used in the prevention of exacerbations (lung attacks) in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Adverse effects

Common (1–10% incidence) adverse effects include diarrhea, weight loss, nausea, headache, insomnia, decreased appetite, abdominal pain, rhinitis, sinusitis, urinary tract infection, and depression.

Society and culture

Legal status

In June 2010, it was approved in the European Union for severe COPD associated with chronic bronchitis. In February 2011, it gained FDA approval in the United States for reducing COPD exacerbations.

Medical uses

Adverse effects

Society and culture

Legal status

References

Further reading