Safety and Efficacy of Secukinumab in Mild Psoriasis

Summary

Participation Requirements

Description

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease of the skin that, even in mild disease, increases the risk of comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease and metabolic derangements. Mild psoriasis tends to be treated with topical drugs, while moderate-to-severe disease is optimally treated with systemic im...

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease of the skin that, even in mild disease, increases the risk of comorbidities such as cardiovascular disease and metabolic derangements. Mild psoriasis tends to be treated with topical drugs, while moderate-to-severe disease is optimally treated with systemic immune modulators. However, the treatment of "mild" psoriasis needs to be re-thought because recent studies have revealed that mild psoriasis is characterized by stronger expression of pathogenic molecules, such as interleukin (IL)-17A, and higher numbers of T cells in the skin, compared to severe psoriasis. A key distinction between mild and severe psoriasis is now discovered to be the higher expression of negative immune regulatory genes in mild lesions. Therefore, targeted immune therapy with anti-IL-17A, which is highly effective in severe psoriasis, might be equally (or even more) effective in mild disease. Also, restoration of immune tolerance might be more easily achieved in mild disease. Thus, short-term anti-IL-17A treatment of mild psoriasis might prevent the recurrence and eventually cure the disease. The aim of study is to test this hypothesis by exploring whether 3 months or 6 months of anti-IL17A treatment will prevent relapses after medication has been discontinued in mild psoriasis patients.

Tracking Information