Successful Treatment of Refractory Plaque-Type Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis With Guselkumab and Adalimumab Combination Therapy: A Case Report

Copy: A number of biologics have been approved for use in plaque-type psoriasis. They act by either blocking the action of a specific type of cell or protein in the immune system. Case presentation: Herein, we report a case of a 46-year-old woman with a 12-year history of severe plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis who was treated successfully with guselkumab and adalimumab after failure of prior topical corticosteroids, cyclosporine and narrow-band ultraviolet B (NBUVB) phototherapy. Conclusion: There is limited data supporting the combination of biological agents in the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. This is the first case report of plaque psoriasis with arthritis, successfully treated with guselkumab and adalimumab combination therapy, without concurrent use of other systemic agents during the treatment. However, further studies need to be carried out to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this biologic combination therapy. J Drugs Dermatol. 2019;18(4):394-396.

Managing Mild-to-Moderate Psoriasis in Elderly Patients: Role of Topical Treatments.

The approach to managing mild-to-moderate psoriasis in the elderly (ages >65 years) should be no different to that in the younger population. Topical agents are frequently prescribed for elderly patients as first-line therapy because of their localized impact and minimal systemic effects. Although topical therapy remains the mainstay treatment of mild-to-moderate psoriasis, the elderly population may be at a higher risk of steroid-induced adverse events, including atrophy, purpura, telangiectasia, secondary skin infections, rebound phenomenon, and tachyphylaxis. In addition, offering photo- and systemic therapy to elderly patients with mild-to-moderate psoriasis may pose challenges due to the presence of comorbidities, patient adherence, and reduced physical functioning. Nonetheless, topical therapy remains first-line therapy for elderly and younger patients with mild-to-moderate psoriasis as standalone therapy or in combination with oral and biologic agents. Effective use of topical treatments should be prioritized to ensure elderly patients can be effectively managed prior to advancing to photo- or systemic treatment modalities.

Combining biologic therapies with other systemic treatments in psoriasis: evidence-based, best-practice recommendations from the Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation.

IMPORTANCE: While monotherapy with biologic agents is effective for many patients with psoriasis, some patients require combination therapy. Evidence-based recommendations on combination therapy provide guidance for treating appropriately selected patients with psoriasis. OBJECTIVE: To make evidence-based, best-practice recommendations regarding combining biologics with other systemic treatments, including phototherapy, oral medications, or other biologics, for psoriasis treatment. EVIDENCE REVIEW: We searched the MEDLINE database for studies from January 1, 1946, to June 18, 2013, that evaluated therapies combining biologics with phototherapy, oral medications, or other biologic agents. The Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation arrived at best-practice recommendations through group discussion and voting. FINDINGS: Few trials evaluated the efficacy and safety of combination therapies in moderate to severe psoriasis. Combining biologics, such as etanercept or adalimumab, with phototherapy likely results in greater reduction in disease severity than either alone. Etanercept and methotrexate combination is more effective than monotherapy with either medication. A combination of infliximab with methotrexate results in greater efficacy than infliximab alone. With concomitant use of acitretin, the dosing of etanercept can be reduced to maintain similar levels of efficacy. Short-term cyclosporine use has been combined with etanercept or adalimumab to control psoriasis flares. Based on the expert opinion of the Medical Board of the National Psoriasis Foundation, the preferred order for combining a second modality with biologics is biologic and methotrexate combination, biologic and acitretin combination, and then biologic and phototherapy combination. In the psoriasis literature, there are overall insufficient data on combining biologics with acitretin, cyclosporine, or a second biologic. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among appropriately selected patients with psoriasis, carefully chosen combinations may result in greater efficacy, while minimizing toxicity.

An assessment of traditional and novel therapies for cellulite.

There are numerous treatments for cellulite including topical, surgical, laser and other therapies. Many of these treatments are expensive. Part of the difficulty in treating cellulite arises from our incomplete understanding of this phenomenon. As noted previously in this journal, there is no consensus as to the etiology of cellulite. This article will focus on both traditional and novel treatments for cellulite and assess their efficacy based on the scientific literature.

Retinoid therapy for psoriasis.

This article focuses on the treatment of psoriasis with acitretin, the only systemic retinoid approved for psoriasis, and also briefly discusses its predecessor, etretinate, which was replaced by acitretin in 1997 and is no longer available. The use of topical tazarotene is also discussed in detail. Combination therapy of retinoids, both topical and systemic,with phototherapy and other therapeutic agents is described. In addition, new retinoid analogues that are undergoing clinical investigation are mentioned. Finally, potential toxicities and adverse effects associated with retinoids are discussed.

Laser and novel light source treatments for psoriasis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are many treatment modalities for psoriasis including topical therapy, ultraviolet light therapy, systemic agents, and more recently the advent of the biologic agents. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS: In addition, selective treatment using lasers and light sources that target the individual psoriatic plaques have also been employed. RESULTS/CONCLUSION: This article will highlight and review the employment of laser-assisted devices in the treatment of plaque psoriasis.