The FDA has approved ixekizumab (Taltz – Lilly), an injectable humanized interleukin (IL)-17A antagonist, for treatment of adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. Ixekizumab is the second IL-17A antagonist to be approved for this indication in the US; secukinumab (Cosentyx – Novartis) was the first.

The FDA has approved the oral Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor upadacitinib (Rinvoq – Abbvie) for treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis in adults who have had an inadequate response to or cannot tolerate one or more tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors. Upadacitinib is the second JAK inhibitor to be approved for this indication; tofacitinib (Xeljanz) was the first. Upadacitinib is also approved for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, atopic dermatitis, and ankylosing spondylitis.

The oral sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator ozanimod (Zeposia – Bristol Myers Squibb) has been approved by the FDA for treatment of adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis. It is the first S1P receptor modulator to be approved for treatment of ulcerative colitis. Ozanimod was approved in March 2020 for use in adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis.

The May 5, 2008 article (Med Lett Drugs Ther 2008; 50:34) on the approval of natalizumab (Tysabri) for treatment of Crohn's disease in the "Adverse Effects" section on page 35 included the statement: "post-marketing hepatotoxicity, sometimes fatal or requiring liver transplantation, has occurred." Actually, no fatal hepatotoxicity or liver transplantation has been reported to date. The FDA warning about post-marketing hepatotoxicity with Tysabri that was the basis for our statement said: "The combination of transaminase elevations and elevated bilirubin without evidence of obstruction is...

The FDA has approved the injectable interleukin (IL)-17A/17F antagonist bimekizumab-bkzx (Bimzelx – UCB) for treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic treatment or phototherapy. Bimekizumab is the first IL-17A/17F antagonist to be approved in the US. It was approved in the European Union for the same indication in 2021.

In the Medical Letter article on ustekinumab (Stelara) for psoriasis (2010; 52:7), footnote 2 in table 2 should have included a second sentence: $5595.60 is the cost of one 45-mg syringe.

The FDA has approved the interleukin (IL)-23 antagonist risankizumab-rzaa (Skyrizi – Abbvie) for treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults. Risankizumab is the third IL-23 antagonist to be approved for this indication; guselkumab (Tremfya) and tildrakizumab (Ilumya) were approved earlier.

View the Comparison Table: Some Drugs for Plaque Psoriasis

Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), referred to collectively as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), are chronic immune-mediated inflammatory conditions. Guidelines for treatment of UC and CD have been updated in recent years

Some tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors are being promoted on the internet directly to the public for use in psoriasis (www.yahoo.com).