FROM THE JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY
Psoriasis patients may have more success with a second tumor necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist after failure with a first, report Paul S. Yamauchi, MD, PhD, and coauthors.
Investigators analyzed 15 studies evaluating the efficacy of switching TNF antagonists after primary or secondary failure. Response rates at 24 weeks for a second antagonist were 30%-74% for a 75% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score, and 20%-70% for achieving a Physician Global Assessment score of 0/1. Mean improvements in Dermatology Life Quality Index ranged from –3.5 to –13, Dr. Yamauchi and colleagues reported.
Patients who experienced secondary failure with initial treatment generally achieved better responses than those with primary failure, the authors said.
Though response rates to a second anti-TNF agent were lower than for a first, “a substantial proportion of patients in every study achieved treatment success,” they added.
Read the full article in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology .
