Table 3.

Overview of biologic treatments in pediatric psoriasis

Drug	Dosage	Side effects	Laboratory monitoring
Etanercept	0.8 mg/kg/week or 0.4 mg/kg twice weekly	Increased risk of infection, injection-site reaction, anaphylaxis, development of anti-nuclear antibodies, lupus-like syndrome, pancytopenia	Blood count, liver enzymes, PPD test annually
Infliximab	3–5 mg/kg at weeks 0, 2 and 6 then every 8 weeks	Increased risk of infection, acute infusion reaction, delayed hypersensitivity reaction, anaphylaxis, development of anti-nuclear antibodies, lupus-like syndrome, pancytopenia New onset or exacerbation of demyelinating disorder	Blood count, liver enzymes more frequently than with other TNF-blockers, PPD test annually
Adalimumab	0.8 mg/kg (up to maximum 40 mg in total) at week 0 and 1 and then every 2 weeks	Increased risk of infection, injection-site reaction, anaphylaxis, development of anti-nuclear antibodies, lupus-like syndrome, pancytopenia New onset or exacerbation of demyelinating disorder	Blood count, liver enzymes, PPD test annually
Ustekinumab	0.750 mg/kg (for patients ≤60 kg; otherwise same dosage for adults) at week 0 and 4 then every 12 weeks	No specific adverse effects reported in clinical trials	Blood count, liver enzymes, PPD test annually