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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
The Goeckerman Regimen for the Treatment of Moderate to Severe Psoriasis
Published on: July 11, 2013
Long-term continuous efalizumab therapy in patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis: updated results
Alice B Gottlieb1, Tiffani Hamilton, Ivor Caro
1University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901-0019, USA. alice.gottlieb@umdnj.edu
Background:
Efalizumab is a T cell-targeted therapy for psoriasis.
Objective:
We sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of long-term, continuous efalizumab therapy.
Methods:
Of 339 patients enrolled in this ongoing, open-label, phase III study, after 3 months 290 qualified for and entered the maintenance treatment phase.
Results:
Results for the first 27 months of this 36-month continuous therapy trial are available. At month 3, 41% of patients achieved at least a 75% reduction in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score; at month 27, 47% achieved at least a 75% reduction in PASI score (intent to treat, n = 339). Among patients eligible for maintenance therapy (n = 290), 56% achieved at least a 75% reduction in PASI score at month 27. Moreover, the at least 90% reduction in PASI score rate increased through 18 months (33%). The safety profile with efalizumab was sustained throughout 27 months of continuous treatment with no new common events over time.
Limitations:
Because the extended treatment period was not a randomized clinical trial, no formal comparative analyses versus placebo were conducted. Three-month placebo data from randomized, parallel, placebo-controlled studies are briefly discussed.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that efalizumab maintains, and in some patients continues to improve, efficacy during long-term therapy.