NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic has raised concerns about whether biologic therapy could make psoriasis patients more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19. Mark Lebwohl, MD, from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and colleagues address this issue in a letter in the Journal of the…
More Than Skin Deep: Insights into Clinical Challenges in Psoriatic Arthritis
Accurately classifying patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) can be difficult, especially patients with monoarticular/oligoarticular and polyarticular forms of PsA. A session at the 2019 European Congress of Rheumatology provided insight into the assessment and treatment of PsA subtypes…
Mirikizumab Promising for Plaque Psoriasis
During a 16-week study, patients with plaque psoriasis taking mirikizumab experienced higher response rates and skin clearance compared with placebo…
EU Approves Marketing for Ixekizumab in Adults with PsA
In its second indication in the EU, ixekizumab has been approved by the European Commission to treat adults with active psoriatic arthritis…
Skin Exam Advised Before Anti-TNF-Alpha Therapy
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Using tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) inhibitors for atypical dermatoses may unmask, or perhaps even worsen, cutaneous lymphoma, according to new research. “Our findings suggest that careful skin examination might be required in all patients prescribed anti-TNF-alpha agents, especially those with atypical presentations of benign skin conditions,” says Dr. Joan Guitart of…
Bimekizumab Improves Joint & Skin Symptoms in PsA Patients
Preliminary results from an ongoing study show that bimekizumab improves joint and skin symptoms in patients with psoriatic arthritis…
Psoriasis Tied to Higher Risk of Serious Liver Disease
(Reuters Health)—People with chronic inflammatory disorders, such as psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), may have an increased risk of developing serious liver damage, a recent study suggests. These inflammatory disorders are often treated with methotrexate, a medication linked to an increased risk of liver disease. For the current study, researchers followed more than 1 million…
The Role of Macrophages in Inflammation & Fibrosis: Macrophages May Predict Progressive Skin Disease
MADRID—Research into pharmacodynamic biomarkers has shown that macrophages may have an important role in the pathogenesis of several diseases, including systemic sclerosis, an expert said at the 2017 Annual European Congress on Rheumatology (EULAR). The findings were discussed in a session that also covered how an understanding of M1 macrophages’ role in fibrosis has evolved…
Molecular Differences Between Pediatric & Adult Psoriasis Plaques
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—The pathology of pediatric psoriasis differs from that of adult psoriasis, a finding that has implications for treatment, researchers suggest. “Pediatric psoriasis often differs from adult psoriasis in presentation, triggers, natural history, and response to therapy, suggesting potential differences in the pathophysiology of the disease processes,” Dr. Kelly Cordoro of the University…
Pembrolizumab May Induce Sarcoid-Like Skin Reactions
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Eruptive keatoacanthomas and extensive panniculitus are among the dermatological conditions associated with the anticancer agent pembrolizumab, researchers say. Pembrolizumab, a humanized IgG4 PD-1 (programmed cell death-1) antagonist antibody, is an immune checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) approved in the U.S. for treating advanced melanoma, non-small-cell lung cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma….