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Efalizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody to CD11a that acts in three ways to block T-cell function: It interferes with T-cell activation by antigen-presenting cells, obstructs their migration out of the cutaneous vasculature into the skin, and retards their binding to epidermal keratinocytes. This protein has received FDA approval for the treatment of psoriasis, but there is interest in using it for several other diseases as well. Because of evidence that dysregulated T-cell–mediated immunity is involved in the pathogenesis of discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE), researchers in this partly manufacturer-supported study conducted an open-label trial of efalizumab for treating DLE.
Thirteen adult patients with treatment-resistant DLE receive…