Patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis recapture clinical response during re-treatment with etanercept

BACKGROUND: Patients with psoriasis experience remission and gradual reappearance of erythematous and scaly plaques and require individualized treatment over time. A goal of psoriasis treatment is to provide optimal efficacy with a flexible therapeutic regimen that may include treatment pauses. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether patients receiving initial treatment with etanercept who then pause therapy would subsequently recapture response during re-treatment. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A post-hoc analysis of 226 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis from a large multicentre trial was performed. Patients had received etanercept 50 mg twice weekly subcutaneously until a target clinical response had been achieved, then had paused treatment and eventually relapsed. They were then re-treated with etanercept 25 mg twice weekly. The number of patients recapturing a Physician Global Assessment (PGA) of psoriasis rating of <or = 2 (clear, almost clear or mild) on first re-treatment was assessed. Patient satisfaction during the initial treatment and first re-treatment period was also determined. RESULTS: A total of 187 (83%) patients recaptured the target clinical response of a PGA of <or = 2 after re-treatment. The majority of patients [219 of 226 (97%)] reported satisfaction with etanercept re-treatment. No new safety concerns emerged during re-treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In this post-hoc analysis, patients with psoriasis who were re-treated with etanercept 25 mg twice weekly effectively recaptured clinical responses that patients found satisfactory. A flexible treatment option is available to dermatologists and patients for individualized care.