Study to Help Understand the Action of the Drug Etanercept for the Adult Patient With Psoriasis

The eligible patient will receive the drug Etanercept (Enbrel), and will self inject with Etanercept twice a week for the first 12 weeks. The patient will be taught to self inject the medication at home and will be seen in the clinic weekly, for the first four weeks and then once a month.

During the second 12 weeks of the study, patients will be placed in one of two groups by the drug company participating. One group of patients will be randomized to either continue receiving the medication and will self inject once a week. A second group will be randomized to not receive the medication but will continue to be followed and examined at monthly visits. The drug company will do the randomization or choice of group, and each patient has a one in two chance of being placed in one group or the other.

At the clinic visits, the patient can expect that a physical exam and skin exam will be done. At specific weeks, blood work will be drawn, clinical photography taken and a skin biopsy done. Two types of skin biopsies will be done after local anesthesia has been administered. One is a punch biopsy where a small piece of skin will be taken, the approximate size of a pencil eraser. The second type of skin biopsy is a shave biopsy, where a postage sized piece of skin will be taken.

Inclusion criteria

• Gender: Male and Female
• Minimum Age: 18
• Maximum Age: 70

Exclusion criteria

• Healthy Volunteers