Etanercept for psoriasis in the pediatric population: experience in nine patients.

Psoriasis commonly affects children and adolescents, and the need for safe, effective therapy is a special consideration in the pediatric population. In recent years, the use of targeted immunomodulatory biologic agents has been increasingly studied for the treatment of psoriasis. Of these, etanercept, a tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonist, has been approved for the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in adults, and while it is approved for use in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, formal studies are needed to demonstrate its safety and efficacy for childhood psoriasis. We present our preliminary experience of treating nine pediatric patients with generalized, recalcitrant psoriasis with etanercept therapy.