Getting the Red Out: Drug improves kids’ psoriasis symptoms
By Nathan Seppa
A rheumatoid arthritis drug can clear up psoriasis in most children, a new study finds. The report might be enough to cinch regulatory approval for the drug, etanercept, as the first systemic medication for psoriasis in youngsters.
Psoriasis results from runaway inflammation that promotes excess skin-cell growth, creating thick red patches all over the body. Currently approved treatments such as skin creams and ultraviolet light often provide only limited help for children with psoriasis.
To test etanercept, an anti-inflammatory drug previously approved for treating psoriasis in adults, researchers enlisted 211 children ages 4 to 17 who had moderate to severe disease. On average, the children had patches covering one-fifth of their bodies.