Immunosuppressives, Retinoids and New Trends in Psoriasis Therapy

Overview

Some psoriasis forms can be successfully treated with topical medicaments; serious and extensiveforms cannot be cured without systemic treatment with retinoids (etretinate, acitretin, tazarotene)or withimmunosuppressives (methotrexate, cyclosporine A, tacrolimus,SDZ 281-240). Immuno-therapyand nucleotide analogues are being newly introduced, a number of potentially effectivesubstances interfering with pathogenetic mechanisms participating in the emergence and self-prolongationof psoriasis are in the stage of research and clinical trials, and gene therapy possibilitiesare being investigated.The development and testing of drugs serving therapy for psoriasis correlateswith the development of knowledge about the origins of the disease and the mechanisms of howantipsoriatics in current use as well as the new potential ones work.

Key words:
psoriasis – therapy – drugs – immunosuppressives – retinoids