Biologics
Biologics are a type of systemic medication and work inside your body to improve your skin.
How do they work?
Biologics target the parts of the immune system that are responsible for causing an excessive inflammatory response in psoriasis. Biologics help to modulate this excessive response.
When are they used?
You may be prescribed biologic therapy if you have moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis which has not responded to other systemic therapies or phototherapy. Alternatively, you may be prescribed one of the biologic therapies if other therapies are unsuitable, or if you have another medical condition that stops you taking other psoriasis treatments.
How are they given?
Biologics are given either as an injection under the skin, or intravenously (directly into a vein) depending on which biologic you are prescribed. For those biologic therapies that require an injection under the skin, your healthcare team may train you to give the injection yourself, or train your carer to give you the injection. This would mean that you may not need to visit your hospital to receive your treatment, but instead can self-inject your medication at home. If you are prescribed biologic therapy that is given intravenously (directly into a vein), this will normally take about 2 hours and will always be done at a treatment centre.
Advantages and disadvantages
Biologic therapies are effective for treating psoriasis, and often provide improvements even if your psoriasis did not improve with other systemic therapies.
The most common side effect of biologics is a reaction at the site where the injection or infusion is given e.g. redness, swelling, bleeding, bruising and itching and infections. For biologics given as an injection this side effect is known as an injection site reaction. For biologics given as an infusion this side effect is known as an infusion site reaction. If you have had an infusion site reaction, you may be given a medicine such as an antihistamine, hydrocortisone and/or paracetamol before your future infusions.
Because biologic therapies affect your immune system, you will be more likely to get infections during and shortly after the treatment course. These may be unrelated to your psoriasis; the most common of these normally causes symptoms like having a cold. However, in some cases, people taking biologic therapy can get more serious infections such as pneumonia.
Other side effects are specific to each biologic therapy, and can, in some cases, be serious. The risk of side effects with biologic therapy should be discussed with your healthcare team before starting treatment. Your healthcare team should also monitor any side effects closely during the treatment course.
If you have any questions about biologics, you may want to discuss them with a member of your healthcare team.