After several actions by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to alert physicians about reports of a rare and deadly neurological disorder developing in patients treated with efalizumab for psoriasis, the drug's maker is voluntarily removing the drug from the market, according to an announcement by the FDA (http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2009/NEW01992.html).
The phased withdrawal will be completed by June 8, 2009. In the meantime, the agency advises against prescribing the drug for new patients and urges physicians to immediately begin transitioning patients to other therapies.