Humira® Effective Psoriasis Treatment for Hands & Feet

Quality of Life Can Improve with This Psoriasis Treatment

January 13, 2011

The biologic medication Humira® (adalimumab) has been proven to be an effective psoriasis treatment, but no studies have specifically measured its ability to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis of the hands and feet—until now.

Over a 28-week period, researchers in the United States and Canada followed 72 people with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis of the hands and feet; 49 people received injections of Humira, and 23 received a placebo. The study was funded by Abbott, makers of Humira.

After 16 weeks, 31% of the people using Humira were determined to be clear or almost clear of plaques on their hands and feet, while just 4% of those receiving the placebo injections experienced the same degree of clearing. And after 28 weeks, 80% of the clear or almost clear response was maintained. The most commonly reported side effects included headache, diarrhea and nasal inflammation.

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Psoriasis of the hands and feet can be especially problematic, not only because of the embarrassment of having plaques on areas of the body that are difficult to cover, but also because of pain and the inability to perform simple everyday tasks. For those people with psoriasis of the hands and/or feet, any relief is a big improvement in their everyday lives.

Source: Craig Leonardi, et al. "Adalimumab for Treatment of Moderate to Severe Chronic Plaque Psoriasis of the Hands and Feet: Efficacy and Safety Results From REACH, a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Double-blind Trial." Archives of Dermatology. Published online December 20, 2010.

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