Drug effective on psoriasis in children

CHICAGO, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Etanercept, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for psoriasis in adults, is safe and effective in reducing psoriasis in pediatric patients.

Lead investigator Dr. Amy Paller of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago said about 7.5 million people in the United States have psoriasis -- a disease in which the immune system causes skin cells to grow at an accelerated rate causing an itchy and painful skin disorder. One-third of psoriasis cases begin in childhood, sometimes infancy.

More than 200 pediatric psoriasis patients from 42 sites in the United States and Canada participated in the 48-week study.

The randomized, double-blind, controlled trial showed 57 percent of patients on etanercept for 12 weeks achieved a 75 percent or greater improvement in symptoms, compared to 11 percent of patients who received a placebo.

A 75 percent improvement is considered "the gold standard" in psoriasis care, Paller said.

The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.