title: Clinical effectiveness and safety experience with efalizumab in the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in Taiwan: results of an open-label, single-arm pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  No clinical trial of efalizumab has been conducted in Asia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine the efficacy and safety of efalizumab in Taiwanese patients with psoriasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is an open-label, single-arm pilot study conducted at two centres. Patients were given 1 mg/kg efalizumab subcutaneously once a week for 12 weeks and were then followed up for a further 12 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 49 patients participated in the study. The median improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) during the treatment period was 19.6%, and a >or= 50% improvement in PASI was seen in 20.4%. Rebound was seen in 17.8% of patients, and anti-efalizumab antibodies were detected in 41% of patients. The most frequent adverse events were headache (34.7%), arthralgia/arthritis (28.6%), psoriasis events (new form/exacerbation; 26.5%) and pruritus (22.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This small pilot study indicated that efalizumab was effective in improving psoriasis symptoms in Taiwanese patients, with no new safety issues identified.
authors.affiliation: The Department of Dermatology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. tftsai@yahoo.com
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Tsai
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Licu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004361:Drug Tolerance; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013624:Taiwan; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; C472181:efalizumab