July 18, 2022

What Is Plaque Psoriasis and How Skyrizi Can Help

Specialty Infusion Blog Elan Katz

What is Plaque Psoriasis?

The most prevalent type of psoriasis is plaque, which results in dry, raised skin patches (plaques) coated in grey or silver scales. Based on skin tone, it may appear differently, ranging from pink on white skin to dark or grey on brown or Black skin.

Plaque Psoriasis

Causes of Plaque Psoriasis

Medical experts are uncertain about the causes of plaque psoriasis. It is regarded as an autoimmune condition in which your immune system considers healthy cells as if they were infected. Because of this, new skin cells develop considerably more quickly than usual and accumulate in dense regions.

How Is Plaque Psoriasis Diagnosed?

Plaque psoriasis is classified as mild, moderate, or severe depending on the area and intensity of the plaques, the proportion of skin affected, and other factors.

Plaques may manifest as scalp psoriasis or genital psoriasis. However, they often appear on the hands, feet, elbows, knees, and back.

What is Skyrizi?

In April 2019, the FDA authorized Skyrizi (its generic name is risankizumab-rzaa) and is indicated for managing moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults. Moreover, in January 2022, the FDA approved Skyrizi for treating adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA).

Your doctor could advise you to take Skyrizi if you have plaque psoriasis. It is indicated for patients whose condition might benefit from systemic medicines or light therapy, as your entire body is affected by systemic treatment.

After two beginning doses, the SKYRIZI therapy may help you maintain smoother skin with four doses annually. Three out of four participants in clinical studies had 90% clearer skin after four months (16 weeks). Nearly 90% of those who had a 90% improvement in skin clarity maintained it for a full year. In clinical studies, many participants with plaque psoriasis saw clearer skin after a year.

Mechanism of Action of Skyrizi

Skyrizi (risankizumab-rzaa)  is a humanized immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) monoclonal antibody and an Interleukin-23 antagonist. It specifically binds to the human interleukin 23 (IL-23) cytokine’s p19 subunit and prevents it from interacting with the IL-23 receptor. A naturally occurring cytokine called IL-23 has a role in inflammatory and immunological reactions. The release of cytokines and chemokines that promote inflammation is inhibited by risankizumab-rzaa.

How to take Skyrizi?

The method to take Skyrizi will be explained to you by your health care professional. They’ll also go through the dose you need and how often to take it. Adherence to your doctor’s recommendations and following your doctor’s instructions for doses is essential.

Skyrizi is injected beneath the skin and comes as a solution within single-dose prefilled syringes. Your doctor will probably administer your first several Skyrizi dosages. You may begin administering Skyrizi injections to yourself at home after your first few doses. Your doctor will show you how to do it. For further details on administering Skyrizi by yourself, you can also check out the manufacturer’s website.

At the starting week of treatment (week 0), Skyrizi is administered through injection under the skin, then again on week 4, and then every 12 weeks after that.