Efficacy and safety of ustekinumab and etanercept for the treatment of psoriasis

Ustekinumab therapy for Crohn's disease during pregnancy: a case report and review of the literature

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVES

The safety of continued ustekinumab (UST) therapy during pregnancy remains unclear in patients with Crohn's disease (CD). There are no meta-analysis reports of exposure to UST during pregnancy. The objective was to describe a case of a pregnant patient with CD who was successfully treated with UST maintenance therapy throughout the pregnancy and delivered a baby boy without any congenital malformations, neurological abnormalities or birth defects.

CASE SUMMARY

A 37-year-old patient with CD treated with UST became pregnant. She had been receiving UST for 8 months at the time. After discussion with the patient and the obstetric team, the UST therapy was continued. The result of treatment was an uneventful pregnancy with delivery, at term, of a healthy boy and the maintenance of clinical, biological and endoscopic remission of CD during and after pregnancy.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

To our knowledge, this is the first reported use of continued UST therapy for CD throughout a pregnancy. The result of treatment was an uncomplicated pregnancy with the mother giving birth to a healthy boy at term and the maintenance of clinical biological and endoscopic remission of CD during and after pregnancy.

Ustekinumab: differential use in psoriasis

Chronic plaque psoriasis is a systemic disease affecting over 3% of the population, and many patients are unsatisfied with their current treatment regimen. With advances in understanding of the pathophysiology of psoriasis, new therapeutic options are being developed. The newest of these agents, ustekinumab, offers patients rapid results and the convenience of four annual subcutaneous doses, with efficacy and safety profiles comparable with those of other biologics. However, ustekinumab has been on the market in the US for less than 2 years and will require years of extensive use before the full adverse event profile is fully understood. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the treatment options currently available for psoriasis, with an emphasis on ustekinumab in order to give prescribers an overview of the available data and allow them to make educated and informed prescribing decisions.