The efficacy and safety of
infliximab in patients with plaque
psoriasis,
psoriatic arthritis, pustular
psoriasis (excluding localized type) and psoriatic
erythroderma were assessed in clinical practice. Without washout of the existing treatment of
psoriasis, treatment was switched to
infliximab, which was given at a dose of 5 mg/kg at weeks 0, 2 and 6 and then every 8 weeks up to week 46. The primary end-points were 75% improvement in
Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score (PASI 75 response rate) for plaque
psoriasis, 20% improvement in American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR 20 response rate) for
psoriatic arthritis, and global improvement in pustular
psoriasis and psoriatic
erythroderma. The PASI 75 response rate in plaque
psoriasis was 72.2% at week 10 and 53.6% at week 50. The ACR 20 response rate in
psoriatic arthritis was 66.7% at week 14 and 80.0% at week 46. The response defined as global improvement in pustular
psoriasis was between 66.7% and 100.0% during the 2–50-week period. The response defined as global improvement in psoriatic
erythroderma was between 75.0% and 100.0% during the week-2–50 period. There were 14 discontinued patients. The most frequently reported reason for discontinuation was the development of adverse events. However, there were no serious
respiratory diseases,
infections or infusion reactions. In patients with plaque
psoriasis,
psoriatic arthritis, pustular
psoriasis and psoriatic
erythroderma,
infliximab was well tolerated, regardless of prior treatment, and also showed superior efficacy over a period of approximately 1 year.