Etanercept and efalizumab for the treatment of adults with psoriasis

The Committee noted that there are a number of ongoing studies of etanercept and efalizumab in people with psoriasis. However, it stressed that efficacy trials conducted in the specific population for which etanercept and efalizumab are licensed are required – that is, people with moderate to severe disease in whom conventional therapy has failed or is inappropriate. In addition, these trials should be of adequate duration and compare etanercept and efalizumab with each other and with other treatments for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Information should also be collected on the use of these drugs in combination with other therapies.

Efforts should be made to ensure the rapid establishment of the proposed BADBIR. This will enable the collection of information on long-term outcomes including adverse events, and also potentially facilitate the identification of subgroups of people who respond better to the drugs. Procedures should be implemented to allow cross-referencing of BADBIR with information from people with PsA enrolled in the British Society for Rheumatology biologicals register.

Research on the rate of inpatient hospitalisation in people with moderate to severe psoriasis is warranted, and the effect of treatment on this rate.

Research on the utility of different health states and how these relate to existing measurement scales is needed in dermatology.