Prospective new biologic therapies for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are immune-mediated, chronic, inflammatory diseases that place a heavy burden on the lifestyle of patients affected. Current understanding of the pathophysiology of these conditions has produced very encouraging new medical developments, largely a consequence of research that has targeted precise elements of the immune cascade, expanding the repertoire of therapeutic options available to dermatologists. Promising new treatments, such as antibodies to interleukin-12 and -23, show superior efficacy and safety in treating psoriasis; the more sophisticated tumor necrosis factor antagonists significantly improve symptoms of rheumatic and psoriatic arthritis and may also be effective in the treatment of plaque psoriasis. In this article, innovative, new treatments for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are critically reviewed.