Table 1.

Currently available injectable biologic agents for the treatment of psoriasis [7]

Treatment type	Secukinumab (Cosentyx®)	Ixekizumab (Taltz®)	Etanercept (Enbrel®)	Adalimumab (Humira®)	Ustekinumab (Stelara®)
Mechanism of action: Biologics work by blocking specific proteins in the immune system	IL-17A	IL-17A	TNF-α	TNF-α	IL-12 and IL-23
Method of delivery: How the drug is given or taken	Subcutaneous self-injection (pen, syringe)	Subcutaneous self-injection (pen, syringe)	Subcutaneous self-injection (pen, syringe)	Subcutaneous self-injection (pen, syringe)	Subcutaneous injection by a health care professional, or self-injection (syringe)
Frequency: How often the drug must be taken	Weeks 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 and every 4 weeks thereafter	Weeks 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 and every 4 weeks thereafter	Two times weekly for the first 3 months, then weekly thereafter	Two injections on weeks 0 then 1 injection every 2 weeks thereafter starting at week 1	Week 0, week 4, then every 12 weeks thereafter
Common side effects: Side effects may vary for each individual	Cold symptoms (>1%), diarrhea (>1%), upper respiratory infection (>1%)	Injection site reactions (≥1%), upper respiratory tract infections (≥1%), nausea (≥1%), tinea infections (≥1%)	Respiratory infection (>5%), injection site reaction (>5%)	Upper respiratory infection (>10%), injection site reaction (>10%), headache (>10%)	Upper respiratory infection (>3%), headache (>3%), fatigue (>3%)
Possible risks: the possible risks listed include serious adverse events that have been reported in association with these medications during and after clinical trials	Serious infection, mucocutaneous candidiasis, Rarely observed: inflammatory bowel disease	Serious infection Rarely observed: rhinitis, oral candidiasis, urticaria, influenza, conjunctivitis, inflammatory bowel disease, angioedema	Serious infection Rarely observed: Exacerbation of multiple sclerosis, congestive heart failure, lupus	Serious infection Rarely observed: Exacerbation of multiple sclerosis, congestive heart failure, lupus	Serious infections Rarely observed: Serious allergic reactions, reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome
Monitoring	Yearly tuberculosis screening, initial hepatitis screening, symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease	Yearly tuberculosis screening, initial hepatitis screening, symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease	Yearly tuberculosis screening, initial hepatitis screening, blood count and liver function tests	Yearly tuberculosis screening, initial hepatitis screening, blood count and liver function tests	Yearly tuberculosis screening, initial hepatitis screening, blood count and liver function tests

IL interleukin, TNF tumor necrosis factor