Biologics in pediatric dermatology

Abstract

Biologics are the molecules of protein, produced by recombinant DNA technology that are used in various diseases to target the specific points in the immunopathogenesis of the diseases without interfering with rest of the pathogenetic pathways and thereby expected to have a lesser side effects profile when compared to conventional immunosuppressant. With the advent of biologic therapy, the treatment of various systemic and cutaneous diseases, especially autoimmune diseases, has been revolutionized; biologicals are goal-directed lethal weapons in treatment armamentarium of a dermatologist; they are a major breakthrough and game changer in the field of dermatology therapeutics or you can say in general as a therapeutic option. While adults have been enjoying the benefits of biologics in treating skin conditions such as psoriasis, eczema, and hidradenitis suppurativa for last few years, but the use of biologics in the pediatric population is still limited because of unknown long-term safety profile and absence of large-scale studies. Thankfully, times are changing, and Biologics are slowly being approved for pediatric use too, in coming future dermatologists will be able to assess which pathways, in particular, are overactive and then prescribing the exact biological as per the need of the patient. In this review, a brief description is given of different biologic agents that are known currently. An extensive literature search was done; all clinical trials, randomized double-blind or single-blind controlled trials, open-label studies, retrospective studies, reviews, case series, and case reports concerned with the use of biologics in various pediatrics dermatoses were screened. The selected articles were retrieved; the final manuscript was prepared, analyzed, and presented in a narrative fashion.