The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7227 p802
7 December 2002

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IL-4 promising treatment for psoriasis

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) shows promise as a potential treatment for psoriasis, researchers say.

Dr Kamran Ghoreschi, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich, Germany, and colleagues explain that IL-4 can affect the development of T cells and that suppression of T-cell cytokine production, inhibition of T-cell activation or deletion of activated T cells can alleviate psoriasis.

In a prospective dose escalation study, the researchers assessed treatment with human IL-4 in 20 patients with severe psoriasis. They found that within six weeks of starting treatment all patients had decreased clinical scores (total assessment of skin thickness, redness, extent of scaling and relative surface involvement in seven body areas). Improvements in psoriasis by more than 68 per cent were seen in 15 patients.

After cessation of IL-4, 18 of the patients remained stable or continued to improve with other treatments which had previously been ineffective.

The researchers comment that "overall efficacy was comparable to that achieved with photochemotherapy which, together with methotrexate, is the most effective therapy for psoriasis". The study is available online and will be published in Nature Medicine next month.