Embrel, a drug approved in 1998 for rheumatoid arthritis and in 2002 for psoriatic arthritis, also may be an effective treatment for psoriasis, researchers reported at the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting.
 
   "We previously have seen the effectiveness of Enbrel (etanercept) on the psoriatic plaques of psoriatic arthritis patients," said Dr. Alice Gottlieb, professor of medicine at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in  New Brunswick, N.J. "This new psoriasis study provides data that show Enbrel, used without other medicines, may be a powerful new weapon against this life-impacting disease.
 
   "Further, the role of TNF (tumor necrosis factor) in psoriasis has emerged to validate that this protein is an important one to target for psoriasis therapy," Gottlieb said.
 
   Enbrel binds TNF, a body chemical operating in normal immune functions and in the biological process that leads to rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis. When Enbrel binds to TNF, the latter becomes biologically inactive, reducing inflammation.
 
   Investigators gave 112 subjects with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis Enbrel or a placebo twice a week for six months. The number of patients achieving a 75 percent improvement in their Psoriasis Area and Severity Index after three months was the measure. 

   About 30 percent of patients taking Enbrel met that goal, compared to just 2 percent of those taking a placebo. At six months, 56 percent of Enbrel subjects reached PASI 75, compared with 5 percent of placebo subjects. Twenty-one percent of Enbrel patients reached PASI 90 compared to no placebo subjects.
 
   "Enbrel subjects showed steady improvement in PASI scores up to 24 weeks in this Phase II study," said Dr. Craig Elmets, professor of dermatology at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. "This is impressive data underscoring the potential of this treatment for psoriasis."
 
   Psoriasis is disease in which the skin grows with abnormal speed, forming layers or plaques. Often these plaques flake off, exposing inflamed skin beneath.
 
   More than 7 million people in the United States have psoriasis, with an estimated 150,000 new cases appearing annually.
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