Adalimumab in Chronic Plaque Psoriasis: A Clinical Guide.

<p>Psoriasis is a common, inflammatory disease that manifests itself as lesions on the skin, which greatly impacts the physical and psychological wellbeing of those affected. The current goal of treatment in psoriasis is to improve the signs and symptoms of disease, whilst minimizing the burden of disease on patient health-related quality of life. Psoriasis can also be associated with other comorbidities such as joint disease, cardiovascular disease, and depression, which can add to the complexity of treatment.</p> <p>Adalimumab is a recombinant, fully human, monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), which blocks the interaction of TNF with both of its cell-surface receptors, with high affinity and specificity. Adalimumab is well established for the treatment of moderate-severe chronic plaque psoriasis in adults, and has more recently been approved in the European Union for use in pediatric patients with severe chronic plaque psoriasis.</p> <p>Here we provide a clinical guide for adalimumab and review existing data on the efficacy and safety of originator adalimumab in moderate-severe chronic plaque psoriasis in adult and pediatric patients. We discuss short- and long-term treatment with adalimumab, and efficacy in hard-to-treat psoriasis of the scalp, hands, feet, and nails, in addition to the impact on associated pain and pruritus. We also discuss treatment optimization with adalimumab in the context of relevant clinical scenarios, and treatment of complex patients with underlying comorbidities. Finally, we examine available real-world clinical data for adalimumab in psoriasis.</p> <p><em>J Drugs Dermatol. 2017;16(8):779-790.</em></p>.