The safety and efficacy of alefacept in the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis

Alefacept is the first biological agent approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis. It is a full human fusion protein binding to CD2 on T cells. With its dual mechanism of action, alefacept blocks the interaction between the leukocyte-function-associated antigen (LFA)-3 and CD2 and thereby impedes the activation and proliferation of T cells. In addition, alefacept induces apoptosis of activated memory T cells. This paper presents an overview about the clinical studies on alefacept, its mechanism of action, and the results of the clinical trials focused on efficacy and safety of alefacept in different populations. Further on, data available on the use of alefacept in combination with other therapeutic agents are discussed.