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Abstract
The number of TH1 cells in skin lesions is strongly associated with disease activity,1 IFN-γ mRNA is elevated in skin lesions,3 IFN-γ is increased in serum from individuals with psoriasis,4 and large-scale gene expression studies identify increased expression of IFN-γ-regulated genes in lesions.1 Because of the appreciation of increased IFN-γ in psoriasis, 2 small pilot studies were conducted between 2001 and 2003 using a neutralizing humanized anti-IFN-γ antibody, HuZAF (Fontolizumab; Protein Design Laboratory, Fremont, Calif). Exclusion criteria include malignancy within 5 years or current malignancies, pregnant or nursing mothers, patients with evidence of infection with HIV, hepatitis B virus, or hepatitis C virus, hematologic abnormalities, previous HuZAF treatment, history of immune deficiency or autoimmune disorders other than psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, serious infection, hypersensitivity to glycine, histidine, or Polysorbate 80, tuberculosis or other mycobacterial infection, and patients with guttate psoriasis, pustular psoriasis, or whole-body erythroderma.