Abstract

No clinical trial of efalizumab has been conducted in Asia. To determine the efficacy and safety of efalizumab in Taiwanese patients with psoriasis. This is an open-label, single-arm pilot study conducted at two centres. Patients were given 1 mg/kg efalizumab subcutaneously once a week for 12 weeks and were then followed up for a further 12 weeks. A total of 49 patients participated in the study. The median improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) during the treatment period was 19.6%, and a >or= 50% improvement in PASI was seen in 20.4%. Rebound was seen in 17.8% of patients, and anti-efalizumab antibodies were detected in 41% of patients. The most frequent adverse events were headache (34.7%), arthralgia/arthritis (28.6%), psoriasis events (new form/exacerbation; 26.5%) and pruritus (22.4%). This small pilot study indicated that efalizumab was effective in improving psoriasis symptoms in Taiwanese patients, with no new safety issues identified.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.