Systemics
Systemic medications are prescription medications that affect the entire body, and are usually reserved for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis who are not responsive to or eligible for conventional topical medications or ultraviolet (UV) light treatments.
Biologics
Biologic medications are developed from living sources, such as cells, rather than combinations of chemicals like traditional drugs. As of January 2008, Amevive, Enbrel,Humira, Raptiva and Remicade are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating psoriasis. Enbrel, Humira and Remicade are FDA-approved for the treatment psoriatic arthritis.
Other biologics are being developed for treating psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Biologics are fairly new treatments for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Their overall safety is still being evaluated; long-term side effects are not fully known.
For more information, please see the Biologics section.
Cyclosporine
Cyclosporine is a prescription systemic medication used to treat psoriasis. In 1995, Neoral (one brand name for cyclosporine) was FDA-approved to help prevent organ rejection in transplant patients. In 1997, the FDA approved Neoral as a treatment for psoriasis.
Methotrexate
Methotrexate is a prescription systemic medication usually sold as a generic. Initially used to treat cancer, methotrexate was discovered to be effective in clearing psoriasis in the 1950s and was eventually approved for this use by the FDA in the 1970s.
Soriatane
Soriatane is a prescription medication called an oral retinoid, which is a synthetic form of vitamin A. Synthetic retinoids were introduced as experimental drugs in the mid-1970s and were approved in the United States in the 1980s. Soriatane is the only oral retinoid approved by the FDA specifically for treating psoriasis.
Other systemics
Accutane, Hydrea, mycophenolate mofetil, sulfasalazine, 6-Thioguanine
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