Treating psoriasis with adalimumab

Eihab A Alwawi¹, Stephanie L Mehlis¹, Kenneth B Gordon^1,2

¹Division of Dermatology and Department of Medicine, Evanston Northwestern Healthcare, Skokie, IL, USA; ²Department of Dermatology, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA

Abstract: Psoriasis is a common, chronic, inflammatory skin disease that can have a significant impact on the quality of life of those who are afflicted. Recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of psoriasis have led to the development of new, genetically engineered, targeted therapies for this disease. Among the most successful strategies for treatment has been the use of biologic immunotherapies targeting tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF). Recent research has evaluated the efficacy and safety of a new anti-TNF agent, adalimumab. Adalimumab is a human monoclonal antibody that is approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. Recently released data from large, randomized clinical trials suggests that adalimumab has significant efficacy for the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis and is well tolerated. Thus, adalimumab seems to be a promising therapeutic approach for patients who suffer from moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

Keywords: psoriasis, adalimumab, tumor necrosis factor alpha