Interleukin 10 treatment of psoriasis: Clinical results of a phase 2 trial

Objective To determine the safety and clinical effects of interleukin 10 (IL-10) treatment of psoriasis. Design and Methods In an open-label phase 2 trial, 10 patients with psoriasis subcutaneously received recombinant human IL-10 over a 7-week period in a dosage of 8 µg/kg daily (n=5) or 20 µg/kg 3 times per week (n=5). Patients were followed up for an additional 5 weeks. Results The treatment was well tolerated. Antipsoriatic effects were found in all but 1 patient. A significant decrease of the psoriasis area and severity index by 55.3% ± 11.5% (mean ± SEM) was observed ( P Conclusions Our data suggest that IL-10 therapy for psoriasis is safe and possibly clinically effective. Consequently, its value in psoriasis and similar immune diseases should be further determined. Dose-finding, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials are necessary now.