Effectiveness of adalimumab dose escalation, combination therapy of adalimumab with methotrexate, or both in patients with psoriasis in daily practice

Background: To increase effectiveness of standard adalimumab treatment 40 mg every other week (EOW) for patients with psoriasis, dose escalation to 40 mg every week or addition of methotrexate (MTX) are possible strategies. Methods: Daily practice data about adalimumab treatment were extracted from a prospective observational cohort. We analyzed all patients with insufficient efficacy of adalimumab EOW who received 1) adalimumab dose escalation, 2) addition of MTX to adalimumab EOW, or 3) both. Effectiveness was analyzed after 12 and 24 weeks using PASI50, PASI75, and mean differences in PASI. Results: Forty-seven treatment episodes (TE) of adalimumab dose escalations, 11 of MTX addition and six combinations were analyzed. After a first episode of adalimumab dose escalation, 25% and 35% achieved PASI50 after 12 and 24 weeks, respectively. After MTX introduction to adalimumab EOW, 9% and 18% achieved PASI50 after 12 and 24 weeks, respectively. No related serious adverse events were reported. Conclusions: Twenty-five percent of first TE with adalimumab dose escalation induced a PASI50 response after 12 weeks and 35% after 24 weeks. Addition of MTX to adalimumab EOW resulted in PASI50 in 9% after 12 weeks and 18% after 24 weeks. Defining patient-groups that will benefit from these interventions is important.