Etanercept ['Enbrel'] is effective and well tolerated in patients with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis, according to the results of two placebo-controlled studies presented at the 60th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology [New Orleans, US; February 2002].*A phase III study involving patients with psoriatic arthritis demonstrated that treatment with etanercept significantly improved symptoms of both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, in addition to significantly reducing disability and improving quality of life. In 24-week results from a phase II study, 56% of patients randomised to etanercept monotherapy achieved improvements of ≥ 75% in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores.