A case of erythrodermic psoriasis successfully treated with ixekizumab

Erythrodermic psoriasis (EP) is the most severe form of psoriasis, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. International guidelines on EP treatment are lacking, with most of the biologic drugs being used basing on case reports or small case series. Ixekizumab, a fully human anti-interleukin (IL)-17A monoclonal antibody, is approved for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis while its use in EP is off label. However, two studies conducted on eight Japanese EP patients have showed ixekizumab as an efficacious and well tolerated therapy up to 24 and 52 weeks, respectively. To date, no case reports on Caucasian patients have been described. We report the case of a 66-year-old Caucasian female with EP successfully treated with ixekizumab, reaching PASI 100 after only 6 weeks of therapy and still maintaining this response at week 24. Our case report suggests ixekizumab as a highly efficacious treatment in EP, presenting also a very rapid action which leads to complete resolution of the disease after 6 weeks. Further studies are warrant to confirm our data, with controlled trials specifically dedicated to EP being strictly needed in order to verify the role and efficacy of the new biologics in EP.