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New guidance on the use of adalimumab for the treatment of the most common type of psoriasis in adults has been issued with the aim of improving patients’ quality of life.
The advice from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends adalimumab as a possible treatment for adults with plaque psoriasis only if their condition is severe and has not improved with other treatments – or if they have had side effects with other treatments. These treatments include ciclosporin, methotrexate and PUVA (psoralen and long-wave ultraviolet radiation).
Treatment with adalimumab, a TNF inhibitor, should be continued beyond 16 weeks only if the psoriasis has clearly improved within this time, NICE says. The severity of a person’s psoriasis before and during treatment should be assessed by considering the redness, thickness and scaliness of the plaques, the area of the body involved, and how the condition affects the person’s quality of life.
Professor Peter Littlejohns, who launched the guidance, said: “Psoriasis is an extremely debilitating disorder that is estimated to affect 2% of the population. Today’s guidance recommending the use of adalimumab will ensure adults with severe psoriasis are able to access a treatment of proven benefit.”
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National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
