Summary

The past 20 months (from early 2003) have seen a dramatic increase in the opportunities for safe and effective control of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Three new, and very different, biologic agents for the treatment of psoriasis have been introduced, and much has been learned about their effects and how they can be most effectively used. Two more biologic agents are likely to be approved for use in psoriasis in the near future, and what is already known about them suggests that they may be valuable additions to the list of therapeutic options for psoriatic disease. The new biologic agents that are currently available have already transformed the way that many physicians approach the treatment of psoriasis. Although the safety profiles of these products appear to be well established, monitoring their long-term use in psoriasis will eventually give us a much better idea of their long-term safety. In the future, these and other new drugs should allow more physicians to help more patients bring their psoriasis under safe, long-term control.