Treating Psoriasis When Enbrel Fails

March 8, 2010 (Miami Beach, Fla.) -- When the drug Enbrel stops working,
people with psoriasis have two effective options, new research suggests.
One new study shows that the recently approved drug Stelara can helptreat
moderate to severe psoriasis when Enbrel fails.
A second study suggests Remicade is effective for people with psoriasis who
are no longer helped by Enbrel.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of
Dermatology. Both studies were sponsored by Centocor, which makes Stelara and
Remicade.
About 7.5 million Americans suffer from psoriasis, a lifelong disorder
characterized by inflammation of skin and, often, the joints.
Stelara, Remicade, and Enbrel are all biologics -- drugs made of genetically
engineered proteins -- that are generally used to treat patients who aren't
responding to traditional therapies such as light therapy and methotrexate.
Remicade and Enbrel both block tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a
chemical produced by immune cells that fuels inflammation, much like gas on a
fire. Stelara targets two proteins, interleukin 12 and interleukin 23, that
also drive the inflammatory process.
The new findings show that if Enbrel stops working, "there are other
effective options," says Alan Menter, MD, chair of the psoriasis research unit
at Baylor Research Institute in Dallas.
Menter was an investigator in the Stelara study, a follow-up analysis of a
larger trial of more than 900 patients that showed Stelara was more
effective than Enbrel in the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque
psoriasis.




What Does Moderate to Severe
Psoriasis Look Like?

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