- Hepatitis B serologies should be obtained prior to starting TNF inhibitors. Understanding the meaning of the various tests is important.
- Continuous therapy with biologics more reliably guarantees persistent response.
- Palmoplantar psoriasis is usually more difficult to treat, yet most effective psoriasis medications can be successful in at least 1/3 of patients.
- Subcutaneous methotrexate demonstrates better bioavailability, tolerability, and efficacy when compared to oral methotrexate.
- Ustekinumab is approved for the signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis, yet displays lesser efficacy for this disease than that of the TNF inhibitors.
- All biologics have demonstrated efficacy for the treatment of nail psoriasis.
- It is safe to use TNF-inhibitors in the context of hepatitis C infection.
- Immunogenicity is one reason biologic therapies lose efficacy over time.
- Biologic therapies have not been demonstrated to cause solid tumor malignancies at a rate greater than the baseline rate of patients with psoriasis.
- Patients with a prior history of malignancy often can safely receive biologic therapies.
- Live vaccines should only be administered to patients who are not currently receiving biologic therapies.
- TNF inhibitors are thought to be safe to use during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
