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Immunobiologic Agents for the Treatment of Psoriasis
Clinical Research Delivers New Hope for Patients With Psoriasis
Arch Dermatol. 2003;139:791-793.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
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PSORIASIS IS a life-disabling disorder in which 8% to 10% of patients aged 18 to 54 years actively contemplate suicide because of their disease.1 Treatments for moderate to severe psoriasis such as UV-B phototherapy, psoralen plus UV-A (PUVA), methotrexate, acitretin, and cyclosporine are generally used only intermittently owing to their toxic effects and/or inconvenience.2 Therefore, patients experience cycles of remission and flare, which they dislike.
The challenge to drug development for moderate to severe psoriasis is to provide safe and effective long-term management.3 The realization that psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease with involvement of T cells, natural killer cells, dendritic antigen-presenting cells, macrophages, and other leukocytes has led to a renaissance in drug development.3-4 This effort, led in large part by the biotechnology industry, has already yielded tangible results3-32 (Table 1). Immunobiologic agents offer the hope for safe, long-term control of psoriasis because they lack targeted organ toxic . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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