Subcutaneous efalizumab is not effective in the treatment of alopecia areata.

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata (AA) is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease. Efalizumab is a T-cell-targeted therapy approved for the treatment of psoriasis. OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of efalizumab in the treatment of moderate-to-severe AA. METHODS: Sixty-two patients were enrolled into this phase II, placebo-controlled trial. The trial consisted of three 12-week periods-a double-blind treatment period, an open-label efalizumab treatment period, and a safety follow-up. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences between treatment groups in percent hair regrowth, quality-of-life measures, or changes in biologic markers of disease severity after 12 or 24 weeks. In both groups, there was an approximately 8% response rate for hair regrowth (at 12 weeks). Efalizumab was well tolerated. LIMITATIONS: Numbers were too small for certain analyses. CONCLUSION: A 3- to 6-month trial of efalizumab was not effective in promoting hair regrowth in this small cohort of patients with moderate-to-severe AA.

Transitioning patients from efalizumab to alternative psoriasis therapies: findings from an open-label, multicenter, Phase IIIb study.

BACKGROUND: Rebound in psoriasis is, by definition, a rapid worsening of disease following the discontinuation of therapy for psoriasis; it occurs following the abrupt discontinuation of many therapies. To prevent rebound on discontinuation of efalizumab, this study evaluated the effectiveness of transitioning patients to an alternative psoriasis therapy. METHODS: Patients (n = 130) received subcutaneous efalizumab 1 mg/kg/week for 12 weeks. Efalizumab was discontinued at 12 weeks; patients were evaluated for improvement from baseline in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and a 12-week transition period was begun. Patients who achieved PASI improvement of 75% or more (PASI-75) at week 12 of efalizumab treatment were observed during the transition period and treated only if psoriasis recurred. Patients who did not attain PASI-75 at week 12 of efalizumab treatment were immediately transitioned to an alternative psoriasis therapy at the physician's discretion. All patients were evaluated for signs of rebound following efalizumab discontinuation. RESULTS: Rebound was not observed in any PASI-75 responder (n = 46). Rebound was observed in two of 32 patients who achieved between PASI-50 and PASI-75, and was more common in nonresponders (14/49). Rebound was observed in none of the eight patients treated with cyclosporine and in two of the 12 patients treated with methotrexate during the transition period. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that efalizumab-responsive patients are less likely to experience rebound than nonresponders and may not require treatment until disease recurrence following efalizumab discontinuation. Efalizumab nonresponders are at higher risk of developing rebound and thus should be considered for transition to an appropriate psoriasis therapy immediately following efalizumab discontinuation.

Efalizumab for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is an inflammatory arthritis associated with psoriasis. Efalizumab, a T cell-targeted, recombinant human monoclonal antibody, is approved for the treatment of adult patients with chronic moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. The effect of efalizumab therapy on PsA has not previously been investigated. OBJECTIVE: This phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicenter study evaluated the efficacy and safety of efalizumab for the treatment of PsA. METHODS: Patients were required to be on at least one of the following concomitant systemic therapies for PsA: nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids, and/or sulfasalazine or methotrexate. One hundred fifteen patients with active PsA were enrolled and randomized in the study. Of these, 107 were treated weekly with efalizumab 1 mg/kg or placebo for 12 weeks, followed by 12 additional weeks of open-label efalizumab. RESULTS: At week 12, 28% of efalizumab-treated patients achieved ACR-20 response (a 20% reduction from the baseline in the American College of Rheumatology response criteria), the primary end point, compared with 19% of placebo patients (p = .27). The safety profile was comparable between efalizumab- and placebo-treated patient groups, regardless of methotrexate background therapy, and no worsening of joint disease occurred with efalizumab therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Efalizumab was not effective in treating PsA; efalizumab therapy did not worsen PsA. The efalizumab safety profile does not appear to be altered with the concomitant use of methotrexate therapy.

Early refeeding after endoscopic biliary or pancreatic sphincterotomy: a randomized prospective study.

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIMS: Patients who have undergone endoscopic sphincterotomy (ES) are usually left to fast for arbitrary reasons until they are examined on the following day. The aim of this study was to check whether this systematic fasting after ES is actually justified. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A blinded randomized prospective study, involving 146 patients, was carried out from January 1999 to September 2001. All patients undergoing biliary and/or pancreatic endoscopic sphincterotomy during this period were randomly allocated to one of two groups: group 1 patients were re-fed 4 hours after ES, and the group 2 patients were only re-fed 24 hours after the procedure. These two groups were comparable for clinical and procedural data except for stenting. RESULTS: Eight patients in group 1 (11 %) and 26 patients in group 2 (37 %) suffered from abdominal pain which resolved with analgesic drug treatment (P = 0.01). Eight patients in the first group(11 %) and five patients in the second group (7 %) had to be given major opiate analgesics (P = 0.56). Refeeding resulted in abdominal pain in five patients in group 1 and 13 in group 2 (P = 0.04). The serum amylase and lipase levels increased significantly after refeeding in group 1, but lipasemia did not increase significantly in group 2. No significant differences in post-ES complications were observed between the two groups. The mean hospital stay was significantly shorter in group 1 : 2.6 days on average, vs. 3.8 days in group 2 (P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of any perforation of the digestive tract or immediate severe acute pancreatitis, early refeeding could be helpful to decrease pain and shorten the hospital stay in patients who have undergone endoscopic sphincterotomy.

Successful treatment of severe myocardial failure after postpartum haemorrhage with the use of an intra-aortic balloon pump.

We report a 29-year-old primigravid who developed cardiac failure following postpartum haemorrhage unresponsive to volume resuscitation and therapy with catecholamines and phosphodiesterase-inhibitors. Transoesophageal echocardiography (TEE) demonstrated left atrial and ventricular dilatation and global left ventricular hypokinesis. No elevation of serum MB-isoenzyme fraction was detected and other organ functions remained stable. Although emergency cardiac transplantation was considered in the presented patient, the institution of intra-aortic counterpulsation was decided on as a first treatment option. Intra-aortic balloon counter-pulsation rapidly improved cardiac function and led to weaning from pharmacological cardiac support within a few days. Mechanical circulatory assist devices can be life-saving in postpartum-haemorrhage-associated cardiac failure.