Long-term therapy with itolizumab is safe and effective for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis: Results from an expanded-access program.

Itolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody that selectively targets the CD6-ALCAM pathway. This article reports on the safety and efficacy of itolizumab in the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in a clinical study conducted in Cuba in the setting of an expanded-access program (EAP). The study included 84 patients who had previously received conventional anti-psoriatic systemic therapies but were either intolerant, had an inadequate response, or had contraindications to these therapies. It consisted of multiple phases, including a 12-week induction phase, a 40-week maintenance phase, and a 24-week off-treatment follow-up phase, using either a 0.4 or 1.6 mg/Kg dose. The results showed that itolizumab monotherapy was safe and effective during 52 weeks of continuous treatment and the subsequent 24 follow-up weeks. Itolizumab treatment resulted in a significant improvement (PASI 75) in 80 % of patients at the end of the induction phase, and this effect was sustained till week 52 during the maintenance phase. Moreover, 24 weeks after treatment stopped nearly two-thirds of patients still showed a PASI ≥ 75. The observed effects were dose-dependent, with 1.6 mg/kg being the most convenient dose. This study further supports the strategy of targeting the CD6-ALCAM signaling pathway for the treatment of psoriasis and the use of itolizumab as a valuable asset in the armamentarium of anti-psoriasis drugs.

Fotoeducación: información básica / Photoeducation: basic information

En las últimas décadas, a nivel mundial y en Cuba particularmente, ha aumentado de la incidencia de cáncer de piel, debido en gran medida a los cambios ambientales, sumado a nuevos patrones de belleza y a la desinformación existente en relación con el tema. El objetivo de este trabajo es aportar información elemental al médico no especialista en dermatología, y al personal de la salud en general, sobre la prevención del cáncer cutáneo(AU)

In the last few decades, there has been an increase of skin cancer incidence worldwide and particularly in Cuba largely due to environmental changes in addition to new beauty patterns and lack of information about this topic. This article is a literature review that intends to provide the physician, who is not a specialist in dermatology questions, and the general health staff with the necessary information about the prevention of skin cancer(AU)