Search

Objective: Thanks to their specificity of action, biologic drugs often lead to complete clearance of psoriatic lesions. In order to maintain its effectiveness, biological therapies cannot be discontinued. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of widening the administration window of four biologic drugs, thus improving the quality of life of psoriatic patients and satisfying their desire to feel free from the disease, without loss of effectiveness.Methods: We performed a multicentric cohort study considering patients with moderate-severe plaque psoriasis and/or arthropathic psoriasis treated with infliximab, adalimumab, etanercept or ustekinumab. The study group included patients with stabilized psoriasis in which the administration regimen of the biologic drug was deferred. The control group included psoriatic patients treated according the product monograph.Results: The percentage of relapses in case of deferred administration intervals was comparable to that of standard administration intervals. The delayed administration modality got a good psychological consensus from the patients themselves, that reported a greater 'perceived satisfaction'. A consistent economic advantage was reported in case of prolonged administration intervals.Conclusions: The administration of biologic drugs with prolonged intervals maintains the same effectiveness as standard administration and produces a 'perceived satisfaction' in psoriatic patients.

Objective: Rituximab, a chimeric monoclonal antibody that targets the CD-20 molecule on B-cells' surface, has led to significant advances in the treatment of autoimmune pemphigus in recent decades. The aim of the study was to assess the clinical efficacy as well as safety data for biosimilar rituximab with emphasis on the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris.Methods: A total of 12 individuals with pemphigus vulgaris treated with biosimilar rituximab were followed for at least 1 year. We assessed patient characteristics, disease history, pemphigus disease area index (PDAI) score, anti-desmoglein (Dsg)1 and anti-Dsg3 antibody level, clinical response, and any adverse events during each clinical follow-up visit. We also recorded time to achieve complete remission, duration of complete remission and time to relapse.Results: A consistent decrease in the PDAI score was observed (p