Biotech agents for psoriasis show promise

By understanding the immunological basis of psoriasis, it has been possible to offer alternatives to traditional therapies. At the 59th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology [Washington, DC, US; March 2001], several presentations highlighted new biotechnological strategies for the treatment of psoriasis. Highlights included Biogen's alefacept and Genentech and XOMA's efalizumab, which both seem to be well tolerated and effective in patients with psoriasis who undergo retreatment with the drugs. Results from clinical trials of other agents were also presented, including denileukin diftitox, IDEC-114 and anti-interleukin (IL)-8 monoclonal antibody.