Efalizumab in the treatment of psoriasis: mode of action, clinical indications, efficacy, and safety

Abstract 

Efalizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against the CD11a subunit of the lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1. It has been approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Efalizumab has been shown in several clinical trials to be effective and well tolerated in the treatment of patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. The safety profile of continuous therapy with efalizumab—as far as it is currently available—is favorable. Mode of action, pharmacological profile, clinical indications and efficacy, safety, and tolerability as well as practical considerations of efalizumab are reviewed in this article.