title: Interleukin-17 antagonists in the treatment of psoriasis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disorder of unknown etiology. Interleukin (IL)-17a, a key product of the recently identified Th17 cell subset, has been found to play a critical role in the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis. IL-17 antagonists are a new class of biological agent currently in development for psoriasis that selectively inhibit IL-17a activity.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This review aims to summarize the current efficacy data from phase II randomized controlled trials of the IL-17 antagonists brodalumab, ixekizumab, and secukinumab for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients treated with IL-17 antagonists achieved marked reduction in psoriasis disease severity as demonstrated by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) 75 response rates. A sizable proportion of patients treated with brodalumab and ixekizumab achieved unprecedented clinical clearance of their psoriasis (PASI > 90). These encouraging results demonstrate the efficacy of these agents and validate the pro-inflammatory role of IL-17 in the pathophysiology of psoriasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Skin Care, Women's College Hospital, and Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON schandrakumar@qmed.ca.
authors.forename: Shivani Felicia
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Chandrakumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology and Skin Care, Women's College Hospital, and Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON.
authors.forename: Jensen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yeung
mesh_terms: D001685:Biological Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D001685:Biological Factors; D020381:Interleukin-17