Efalizumab therapy for psoriasis in patients with inadequate responses to etanercept

Jesse M Kramer1, James E Turner

  • 1Dermatology Division, Mercy Medical Group, Sacramento, California, USA. Jesse.kramer001@chw.edu

Efalizumab is a recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody approved for the treatment of adult patients with moderate-to-severe chronic plaque psoriasis. We present six cases of favorable response to efalizumab therapy in patients with psoriasis who demonstrated inadequate response or who were non-responders to treatment with etanercept, a tumor necrosis factor-alpha-binding fusion protein. The subsequent response of these patients suggests that efalizumab may be a viable treatment option for patients with psoriasis who respond poorly to etanercept.

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