Background: Psoriasis prevalence and characteristics in Asia, Central Europe, and Latin America have not been\nthoroughly investigated and there are no large trials for biologic treatments for patients from these regions. The\ngoal of this analysis was to report clinical response to anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha treatment in these patients.\nMethods: Patients from Argentina, Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico, Taiwan, and Thailand (N = 171) were included\nin this subset analysis of the PRISTINE trial. Patients with stable moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis were blinded\nand randomized to receive etanercept 50 mg once weekly (QW) or biweekly (BIW) for 12 weeks, followed by 12 weeks\nof open-label QW treatment with etanercept 50 mg through week 24 (QW/QW vs. BIW/QW). Concomitant methotrexate\n(?20 mg/week) and mild topical corticosteroids or other agents were permitted at the physician�s discretion, in\naccordance with therapeutic practice.\nResults: As early as week 8, 26.7 % in the etanercept QW group and 44.0 % in the BIW group achieved Psoriasis\nArea and Severity Index (PASI) 75. At weeks 12 and 24, respectively, PASI 75 increased to 39.5 % and 62.8 % in the\nQW/QW group and 66.7 % and 83.3 % in the BIW/QW group. PASI 75 was significantly different between treatment\ngroups from week 8 through the end of study (p < 0.05). The Kaplan-Meier estimate of the proportions achieving PASI\n75 in QW/QW and BIW/QW groups, respectively, was 27.4 % and 45.8 % through week 8; 41.9 % and 68.7 % through\nweek 12; and 72.5 % and 95.2 % through week 24.\nConclusions: Treatment with etanercept 50 mg provided rapid relief of psoriasis symptoms in patients from Asia,\nCentral Europe, and Latin America. A more rapid response was observed in patients who received BIW treatment for\nthe first 12 weeks which was sustained after reducing to QW dosing for the subsequent 12 weeks. Response rates were\nsimilar to those observed in the overall PRISTINE population.
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