- Well tolerated with excellent safety profile
- No evidence of increased risk of infection
- No opportunistic infections have been observed
- No evidence regarding increased risk of cancer. Psoriasis itself may have an increased risk of malignancy. [Arch Derm 2001;137:778-783. J Invest Dermatol 2000;114:587-590]
- No cumulative toxicity
- Combining the Alefacept with with UV light, systemic agents and topical therapy has been well tolerated in clinical trials and in practice
- No rebound or flare-up reported
- No immediate or late hypersensitivity reactions reported
Adverse reactions:
- In clinical trials, adverse events overall were similar to placebo after one courses of therapy and did not increase with subsequent courses of Alefacept (up to 8 courses to date).
Laboratory monitoring
- Bi-weekly CD4 T lymphocytes counts to guide dosing (monthly in new clinical trials)
- Withhold drug if CD4 below 250 cells/µL . The drug should be discontinued if the count stays below 250 cells/µL for longer than a month
- Only 4% of patients had a CD4 count below 250 cells/µL (in clinical trials) and no patients had to permanently discontinue treatment due to low CD4. No increased rate of infections in patients with a CD4 count below 250 cells/µL
