Infliximab for the treatment of adults with psoriasis

Infliximab, within its licensed indications, is recommended as a treatment option for adults with plaque psoriasis only when the following criteria are met:

• The disease is very severe as defined by a total Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) of 20 or more and a Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) of more than 18.

• The psoriasis has failed to respond to standard systemic therapies such as ciclosporin, methotrexate or PUVA (psoralen and long-wave ultraviolet radiation), or the person is intolerant to or has a contraindication to these treatments.

Infliximab treatment should be continued beyond 10 weeks only in people whose psoriasis has shown an adequate response to treatment within 10 weeks. An adequate response is defined as either:

• a 75% reduction in the PASI score from when treatment started (PASI 75) or

• a 50% reduction in the PASI score (PASI 50) and a 5‑point reduction in the DLQI from when treatment started.

When using the DLQI healthcare professionals should take care to ensure that they take account of a patient's disabilities (such as physical impairments) or linguistic or other communication difficulties, in reaching conclusions on the severity of plaque psoriasis. In such cases healthcare professionals should ensure that their use of the DLQI continues to be a sufficiently accurate measure. The same approach should apply in the context of a decision about whether to continue the use of the drug in accordance with section 1.2.