What you should know about Raptiva:
Raptiva (efalizumab) is a man-made form of a protein similar to human antibodies. Efalizumab is made to target and destroy only certain cells in the body. This may help to protect healthy cells from damage.

Raptiva is used to treat plaque psoriasis (raised, silvery flaking of the skin) in adults. It is administered by once-weekly, under-the-skin injection in adults who are candidates for systemic (whole body) therapy or phototherapy (light therapy) to control their psoriasis. It works by suppressing the immune system to reduce flare-ups of psoriasis.

If you've been taking Raptiva to treat your psoriasis, you could be at risk for life-threatening infections leading to hospitalization and death.

Raptiva side effects:
The most frequent side effects reported in clinical studies were:

• Headache
• Infections (usually upper respiratory
   infections)
• Chills
• Nausea
• Flu syndrome
• Fever
• Back pain
• Acne

These side effects were generally mild and did not cause most patients to stop taking Raptiva. These events happened most often after the first dose of Raptiva and may decrease after additional doses.

In particular, a group of reactions (headache, fever, chills, nausea and muscle pain) occurred most commonly after the first one or two injections of Raptiva during the initial 12-week treatment. With this in mind, a smaller "conditioning" dose is recommended for the first treatment to reduce the severity and occurrence of these side effects. By the third injection, side effect rates were similar to those taking placebo.

The most serious side effects were very rare, but included psoriasis relapse serious infections and thrombocytopenia (low platelet counts).

Signs and symptoms:
Patients taking Raptiva should also watch for signs and symptoms of infection, as well as these problems:

• Confusion, dizziness or loss of balance, difficulty talking or walking, and vision problems (possible symptoms of PML)

• Dizziness upon standing, weakness, or jaundice (possible symptoms of anemia)

• Bruising, bleeding gums, pinpoint-sized red or purple dots under the skin (possible symptoms of thrombocytopenia, or low platelet count)

• Worsening of psoriasis or arthritis

• Sudden onset of numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms, legs, or face (possible signs of a nervous system disorder).

The FDA recommends that patients taking Raptiva seek immediate medical attention for those problems.

Raptiva in the news

• 4/8/2009 Voluntary U.S. Market Withdrawal of Raptiva
• Raptiva increases the risk for PML
• 4/9/2009 Genentech pulls Raptiva

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Bertram Law Firm