Insights on Tildrakizumab: Evolution of Psoriasis Treatment

Aaron S. Farberg, MD, is an assistant professor of dermatology and a dermatologic surgeon at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX. Dr Farberg is, also, the lead editor for a book on technology in skin cancer and has been a clinical investigator in many studies with some being FDA clinical trials. He has been recognized with numerous awards and honors in addition to having published more than 70 articles in medical journals. In this video, Dr Farberg reflects on the evolution of psoriasis treatments and tildrakizumab’s relation as a therapeutic following his poster presentation at AAD 2021.

Transcript:

Dr Farberg:  The management of psoriasis has evolved considerably over the past 20 years. This has occurred in parallel with our understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease, and we can now precisely target immune pathways for the treatment of psoriasis with biologic agents.

The treatment of psoriasis is now more of a holistic one that includes the biological, the psycho, the social nature of the disease. We now seek to identify the best drug for each individual patient, and there's exciting hope for doing exactly this through methods such as skin sampling and the use of gene expression profiling.

Psoriasis has a tremendous impact on our patients' lives. It affects them physically, psychologically, socially. There is significant physical and psychosocial impairment. Psoriasis is not merely a cosmetic issue, but it actually often warrants appropriately aggressive treatment.

Anti-psoriatic biologic agents such as tildrakizumab offer our patients unparalleled treatment potential for greater skin clearance and overall improved quality of life.

When we evaluate the efficacy of biologic agents on the full psoriasis disease burden, we must also account for their impact on both physical symptoms as well as patient-reported, health-related quality of life measurements.

These outcomes are actually incorporated into clinical practice. Having a biologic agent such as tildrakizumab, which maintains this efficacy for weeks, and months, and now years, means that the improvement for patient quality of life is also likely to remain for the same weeks, months, and now, thankfully, many years to come.

The evolution of psoriasis treatment over the past few decades is an excellent example of successful translational research. We have gained an understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease, which has facilitated the development of really precise therapies.

Tildrakizumab is an excellent example of a precise therapy for many of my moderate to severe psoriasis patients, due to its long-term safety and durability in treatment efficacy.