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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Nick ReynoldsORCiD
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Psoriasis is a common, persistent, relapsing inflammatory skin disease that can be associated with significant morbidity. Quality of life studies in psoriasis reveal a negative impact on patients comparable with that seen in cancer, arthritis and heart disease. Patients with severe disease constitute approximately 20-30% of all patients with psoriasis, often require systemic treatment, and represent a major economic burden to the Health Service. All standard systemic therapies for severe disease are associated with the potential for major long-term toxicity, many are expensive, and a proportion of patients has treatment-resistant disease. Biological therapies or 'biologics' describe agents designed to block specific molecular steps important in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and have emerged over the last 3-5 years as potentially valuable alternative therapeutic options. Currently, biological therapies for psoriasis comprise two main groups: (i) agents targeting the cytokine tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α (e.g. etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab) and (ii) agents targeting T cells or antigen-presenting cells (e.g. efalizumab, alefacept). Two of these, etanercept (Enbrel®) and efalizumab (Raptiva®) were licensed in 2004 in the U.K. for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis. © 2005 British Association of Dermatologists.
Author(s): Smith CH, Anstey AV, Barker JNWN, Burden AD, Chalmers RJG, Chandler D, Finlay AY, Grifitths CEM, Jackson K, McHugh NJ, McKenna KE, Reynolds NJ, Ormerod AD
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: British Journal of Dermatology
Year: 2005
Volume: 153
Issue: 3
Pages: 486-497
ISSN (print): 0007-0963
ISSN (electronic): 1365-2133
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2005.06893.x
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2133.2005.06893.x
PubMed id: 16120132
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