Infliximab treatment in two Chinese patients with psoriatic arthritis

Psoriatic arthritis （PsA） is a rheumatoid factor （RF）-seronegative systemic inflammatory disorder associated with psoriasis. Current treatment for PsA in China is still focused on disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs （DMARDs）. In this paper, we report two Chinese patients with active longstanding PsA treated with infliximab, a hu- man-mouse chimeric monoclonal antibody against tumor necrosis factor alpha （TNF-α）. The results show that in- fliximab acted quickly and effectively in relieving peripheral and axial symptoms and refractory skin lesions, even in recombinant human TNF-α receptor （rhTNFR）-resistant case. The take-home message from our cases is that infliximab is a useful therapeutic option for refractory PsA, especially when a patient has a combination of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Further local evidence and experience must be accumulated in order to make anti-TNF-α therapy more accessible to PsA patients in China.