Biologics recommendations for patients with psoriasis: a critical appraisal of clinical practice guidelines for psoriasis

PURPOSE: This review article serves to assess the consistency of recommendations from guidelines on biologic agents for psoriasis, based on the quality evaluation of psoriasis Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs). METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search to identify CPGs that provide recommendations on diagnosis and treatment for psoriasis. Four reviewers performed a quality assessment of the included CPGs with the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation II (AGREE II) Instrument. RESULTS: A total of 51 sets of CPGs from 22 medical societies or separate working groups fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The overall quality of the eligible sets of guidelines was moderate to high, with an overall average score of 55%. The highest domain scores were Score and Purpose (70%) and Clarity of Presentation (68%). A total of 95 biologic agent recommendations were extracted from the 18 recommended CPGs. Three biologic agents (Etanercept, Adalimumab, Ustekinumab) were recommended for pediatric patients. Three biologic agents (Adalimumab, Ustekinumab, Secukinumab) were recommended as first-line biologic agents for adults with psoriasis. CONCLUSION: The overall methodological quality of CPGs for psoriasis is medium to high. More attention should be paid to applicability in guideline development. The recommendations and the basis for them among various sets guidelines were almost consistent.