Treating Psoriasis with Etanercept in Italian Clinical Practice: Prescribing Practices and Duration of Remission following Discontinuation

Background: Conventional antipsoriatic therapies are often administered until remission, with treatment resumed in the case of relapse, in order to reduce the likelihood of cumulative, dose-dependent toxicities. Biological agents have been safely used in continuous therapy. Objective: To assess the use of etanercept for psoriasis in clinical practice in Italy. Methods: This was an observational study carried out in 13 dermatological centres across Italy in patients with plaque psoriasis (with a Psoriasis Area and Severity Index [PASI] score ≥10) treated with etanercept. The study comprised a treatment and subsequent discontinuation period. Patients were eligible if they had plaque psoriasis and had begun treatment with etanercept between 1 September 2007 and 1 April 2008. Patients were evaluable for the duration of discontinuation analysis if they achieved a PASI reduction ≥50% (PASI50) and a PASI score