[The biological treatments for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis]

Abstract

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that can cause substantial disability. The recognition of psoriasis as an immunologically mediated disease led to the development of agents that specifically target key steps in the pathological process. In this review, we focus on the mechanism of action, the efficacy and the safety data of the new biological treatments: alefacept, efalizumab, etanercept, infliximab and adalimumab.