STELARA (also known as Ustekinumab)

Mechanism:

Stelara is an antibody that targets Interleukin 12 and 23, which are both important chemical messengers that activate T-cells.  Stelara is designed to reduce inflammatory processes.

Indications:

• Moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis
• Active psoriatic arthritis
• Active, moderate-to-severe Crohn’s Disease who either failed or were intolerant to corticosteroids or failed or were intolerant to TNF blockers.

Contraindications:

Patients with active infection should not be started on Stelara.

Administration:

For patients with plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, Stelara can be administered as a subcutaneous injection at week 0, 4, and every 12 weeks thereafter.  For patients with Crohn’s Disease, Stelara is typically administered and initiated as a single intravenous infusion dose; for maintenance, Stelara can be administered as a subcutaneous injection every 8 weeks thereafter.