BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune, T-cell mediated, inflammatory disease. An improved understanding of the pathogenesis of the autoimmune response has led to the development of targeted biologic therapies. Briakinumab is a human monocolonal antibody that blocks the activity of the cytokines IL-12 and IL-23. Immune dysregulation has been implicated in multiple inflammatory disorders and briakinumab has been investigated for the treatment of psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and multiple sclerosis. OBJECTIVES: This review focuses on briakinumab and its use in chronic plaque-type psoriasis. METHODS: A literature review was performed, searching Medline and the clinicaltrials.gov database for all articles with the keywords ABT-874, IL-12/IL-23 and psoriasis. CONCLUSIONS: Although limited by small sample sizes, length of follow-up, and a lack of direct comparisons with other psoriasis treatments, initial data regarding the safety and efficacy of briakinumab for the treatment of psoriasis is promising. Ongoing Phase III trials may provide additional information regarding the relative efficacy and safety of briakinumab.
