Psoriasis is a chronic disease that occurs in episodes and which, in a certain moment of its evolution or in some patients, may affect a large portion of the body surface with serious physical and psychological repercussions. The treatment used in this type of patient is associated to many side effects and requires numerous clinical and laboratory controls. We present a clinical case of severe psoriasis that presented a rapid and complete response to etanercept. Based on this case, we performed a bibliographic review aimed at the short-term safety and efficacy aspects, less than 12 weeks of treatment, in psoriatic patients treated with this molecule.