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Efalizumab Efficacious in Two-Thirds of Patients With Moderate-to-Severe Palmoplantar Psoriasis: Presented at EADV By Jenny Powers PARIS -- September 21, 2008 -- Efalizumab is an effective treatment for palmoplantar psoriasis, according to phase 3B/4 trial results presented here at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress. The open-label trial, presented here on September 17, enrolled 1,266 patients with moderate-to-severe palmoplantar plaque psoriasis who were treated with at least 1 dose of efalizumab 1.0 mg/kg. Results were analysed from 1,225 patients who had at least 1 post-treatment efficacy assessment. Assessment of disease was made with the Physician Global Assessment (PGA) with response ratings of "good," "excellent" or "cleared", and the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), which describes a decrease of 50% or greater (PASI 50), 75% or greater (PASI 75), and 90% or greater (PASI 90) to evaluate patients' psoriasis involvement change from baseline. The researchers, led by Gottfried Wozel, MD, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Dresden, Germany, assessed patients at weeks 4, 8 and 12 of treatment. Of 216 patients who were assessed at week 12, nearly half achieved 75% or greater improvement according to the Palmoplantar PASI (PPPASI), noted the investigators. Efalizumab induced significant positive response on the PGA (95% confidence interval: 65.3-70.5%) in 68% of patients, and those who did not respond were determined to be intolerant to other systemic therapies. At week 20 of treatment, 79.5% of patients achieved at least a PGA rating of "good" and the median PPPSAI score was 69.4%. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events -- headache, pyrexia and flu-like symptoms -- were reported by 62% of patients during the first treatment, 17.7% during the continuous treatment, and 40.7% during retreatment, respectively. This study was conducted at 170 centres in 18 countries throughout Europe. Palmoplantar psoriasis is a chronic, recurring condition that affects the palms of hands and soles of the feet. It varies in severity and may limit a person's ability to perform their daily activities. Funding for this study was provided by Merck Serono International, S.A. [Presentation title: Efficacy of Efalizumab in the Treatment of Palmoplantar Psoriasis in Patients With Moderate- to-Severe Plaque Psoriasis: Results From a Post-Approval, Phase 111B/IV Study (Control II) Abstract FP1440] E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version