Adalimumab for treating childhood plaque psoriasis: a clinical trial evaluation

Introduction: Most systemic therapies have not been systematically investigated in moderate to severe childhood plaque psoriasis. Evidence on the efficacy and safety of systemic treatments is limited and therapeutic guidelines are lacking. Recently adalimumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- alpha, was investigated in childhood psoriasis. Adalimumab is licensed for many inflammatory conditions including chronic plaque psoriasis in adults.

Areas covered: A randomized phase III study published provided favourable efficacy and safety data of adalimumab in childhood psoriasis. The active comparator was methotrexate. After 16 weeks of treatment, a PASI 75 score was achieved in 58% of patients within the adalimumab 0.8 mg/kg group compared with 32% of patients within the methotrexate group. Safety data gave no evidence of drug-related serious adverse events and no organ toxicity. This is the first randomised controlled study of either adalimumab or methotrexate in children and adolescents with psoriasis.

Expert opinion: The aforementioned trial was the first to provide clinical data on adalimumab’s efficacy and safety in the short term when treating children and adolescents with psoriasis. Through the use of an active comparator, this study has opened the way for the future assessment of systemic therapies in children and adolescent with this condition.