부산대학교 도서관

To purchase or authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-3083.2007.02430.x Byline: TF Tsai ([dagger]*), MT Liu ([double dagger]), YH Liao ([dagger]), D Licu (s.) Keywords: clinical trial; efalizumab; monoclonal antibody; pilot; psoriasis Abstract: 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 [greater than or equal to] 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. Author Affiliation: ([dagger]) The Department of Dermatology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan ([double dagger])Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (s.)Merck Serono International S.A., Geneva, Switzerland Article History: Received: 19 April 2007, accepted 27 June 2007 DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-3083.2007.02430.x Article note: (*) Corresponding author, Department of Dermatology, National Taiwan University Hospital, 7, Chung-Shan South Road, Taipei, 100 Taiwan, tel. +886 223123456 (ext 5734); fax +886 223934177; E-mail: tftsai@yahoo.com