New treatment for psoriasis
A drug launched this week for the treatment of psoriasis provides an option for patients who have not responded to other therapies.
Efalizumab (Raptiva), manufactured by Serono, is a humanised therapeutic
antibody indicated in patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque
psoriasis who have not been successfully treated with therapies such
as ciclosporine, methotrexate and PUVA.
It works by blocking the activation, reactivation and trafficking of
T-cells that cause the symptoms in psoriasis. Serono says that in clinical
trials 59 per cent of patients who received efalizumab demonstrated a
50 per cent improvement in their psoriasis after 12 weeks of treatment,
and 27 per cent of patients demonstrated a 75 per cent improvement.
Efalizumab is designed to be administered once a week by subcutaneous
injection, and can be self-administered at home after appropriate training.
The cost of treatment for one patient is £8,798.40 per year.
Side effects include headache and non-specific infections.
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