FDA warns of psoriatic PML risk with Raptiva

Washington

- The Food and Drug Administration is warning patients on the psoriasis drug Raptiva (Genentech) about the risk of developing progressive multifocal leukoencephatolopathy (PML), the Wall Street Journal reports.

Earlier this month, a third reported case of progressive multifocal leukoencephatolopathy (PML) in a psoriasis patient taking long-term efalizumab (Raptiva, Genentech) raised concerns about biologic therapies, Medpage Today reports.

This most recent case involved a 47-year-old German patient, the first two cases were 70 and 73 year old patients, respectively, which caused a panel at the Skin Disease Education Foundation Seminar in Hawaii to discuss the onset of PML in these three cases, Medpage reports.

In all three cases, the patients had been on efalizumab monotherapy for more than three years, causing panel members to to advise physicians to actively get their patients off efalizumab, rather than simply 'giving them the choice,' according to Medpage.