Immunomodulatory and Immunsuppressive Drugs in DERMATOLOGY

Recently, dermatologists have witnessed a revolution in our therapeutic armamentarium with the development of several novel immunomodulators. Although psoriasis remains the only condition in dermatology for which the use of immunomodulators has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, these drugs have the potential to signifi cantly impact the treatment of several infl ammatory conditions in dermatology. Th is books includes a review of the mechanism of action, dosing, and side-eff ect profi le, as well as a review of the current literature on immunomudulatory and immunosuppressive drugs in dermatology, and also off -label uses of the CD20-positive B-cell antagonist rituximab, the IgE antagonist omalizumab, the tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists infl iximab, etanercept, and adalimumab, the pathogenic autoantibody antagonist IVIG, the antirheumatic drug lefl unomide, the T-cell response modifi ers alefacept, the toll-like receptor 7 agonist topical imiquimod, the oral hypoglycaemic agent metformin, the phosphodieasterase-4 inhibitor Apremilast, and also the new other immunomodulatory drugs and herbs.