Psoriasis Cure Now's Short Sleeve Day: September 15, 2007
Psoriasis Cure Now's Short Sleeve Day campaign has begun! The national event is not until September 15, 2007, but the campaign is in full swing. Please register (it's free) and join others across the country as we celebrate Short Sleeve Day!
We don't know yet whether these bills are likely to become law (the same bill would have to pass the House and Senate and be signed into law by the President), but we'll keep you posted.
[Give] Psoriasis Cure Now an "A" for effort, another "A" for presenting a rather interesting challenge to producers willing to enter, and yet another "A" for having a sense of humor (note the symptoms visible on the contest logo).
But will this translate into great video submissions? We'll all know in the weeks ahead! Click here for the Psoriasis Cure Now Video Contest.
BCX-4208/R3421 entering phase two testing for psoriasis
BCX-4208/R3421, an inhibitor of the enzyme purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNP) being jointly developed by Roche and BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, is moving into Phase Two clinical trials for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Sixty patients will participate in the next trial, designed to test two different dosing levels of the orally administered experimental drug.
Sometimes, patients consider treatment the worst part of the disease. For example, scalp psoriasis may seem resistant to treatment, he said. Actually, psoriasis treatments probably work better on the scalp than on other areas of the skin, if patients would just apply the medication.
Rather than having patients continually try new treatments for scalp psoriasis, he suggests having patients try the treatment for three to four days.
"It is much easier to be compliant for three or four days than for eight weeks," Feldman said. "After that, patients will know they have a treatment that works and will use it as needed to keep their scalp psoriasis under control."
He also points to the importance of a good doctor-patient relationship:
In addition to considering the form of therapy that patients are most likely to use, Feldman said the patient-physician relationship is an important part of the equation. He said research shows that if patients are satisfied with their physician visit three days afterwards, they are more likely to report an improvement in their condition a month later.
"Patients who are more satisfied with their visit are more trusting of their doctor, worry less about adverse effects and use their medication more regularly," he said.
Dr. Feldman is a passionate advocate for psoriasis patients, and appeared on our first ever Psoriasis Cure Now Podcast exactly one year ago today. He addressed patient compliance, and a host of other issues, in that podcast. Check it out!
Good news out of Congress! Here is a copy of a news release we just issued that discusses it. Your THOUSANDS of letters to Congress (among other things) have helped. Since these House and Senate bills are not yet law, keep those letters coming:
Psoriasis Cure Now applauds Congress for supporting psoriasis research in key appropriations bills
(Kensington, MD, July 17, 2007) Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today praised the House and Senate Appropriations Committees for their strong language in support of expanding federally-funded psoriasis research. The language is contained in Reports accompanying the Fiscal Year 2008 Labor-HHS Appropriations bills in both the House and the Senate.
"The Appropriations Committees in both the House and the Senate have included important language in recent days that will strengthen the federal government's commitment to research on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis," said Michael Paranzino, president of Psoriasis Cure Now. "Millions of Americans battle psoriasis, and the Report language included in the Labor-HHS Appropriations bills moving through Congress will help speed the race for better treatments and ultimately a cure for this painful and sometimes debilitating disease. We are grateful for this expression of Congressional interest in psoriasis and look forward to the National Institutes of Health implementing these priorities expeditiously."
During the time that NIH funding for other diseases doubled, government funding for psoriasis research actually fell by one-fifth. Only in the last couple of years has the psoriasis community become vocal in seeking a fair share of federal research dollars for psoriasis. Currently, just one dollar per patient is spent on psoriasis research annually.
"While many lawmakers were instrumental in securing this important language backing psoriasis research, we want to thank particularly Chairman Dave Obey, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Chairman Tom Harkin, and Senator Arlen Specter for their work on behalf of psoriasis patients," Paranzino added. "We should also note that the National Psoriasis Foundation has been very active on the Hill in recent months, and their hard work here in our nation's Capital is clearly paying off."
Last week, Psoriasis Cure Now launched a $10,000 video contest seeking short videos to educate the public about the seriousness of psoriasis and the challenges people with psoriasis face. Copies of the winning videos will be, among other things, distributed to lawmakers. You can learn more about psoriasis and the Psoriasis Cure Now Video Contest here.
A pair of blogs written by experts on communication strategy have weighed in on the Psoriasis Cure Now Video Contest, which launched last week and will be accepting submissions through September 26, 2007.
Based on Investigators Global Assessment (IGA), 49% of patients receiving 2.0 mg per day of Rambazole were scored "cleared or almost cleared" at week 20 as compared to 20% for patients receiving placebo.
This was a Phase Two study of this experimenta drug, which is administered orally. The company says they are looking for partners to move the drug's testing forward and will also seek to conduct future studies in the United States.
Psoriasis Cure Now is excited to announce our Psoriasis Video Contest, just launched, with $10,000 in prizes, including a Grand Prize of $7,500. We are seeking the best 30-to-60 second videos that will help us educate the public about the seriousness of psoriasis.
Check out our Psoriasis Video Contest website, study the Official Rules, which cover all the essential details including how we will pick the winners, and then grab your camcorder and take your shot at winning the loot. It's for a good cause!
Biotech and pharmaceutical interest in psoriasis treatments continues. Here are a couple items just from the last few days.
Manhattan Pharmaceuticals, on the heels of announcing that their obesity drug candidate had failed in Phase 2a trials (an important reminder of the risks of new treatment development), was quick to reiterate its hopes in its potential psoriasis treatment:
Topical PTH (1-34) -- Manhattan Pharmaceuticals is developing topical PTH (1-34) for the treatment of psoriasis. ... The company is currently conducting preclinical studies on its improved topical formulation for PTH (1-34) and intends to submit a corporate investigational new drug application (IND) in the third quarter of 2007. Pending the outcome of that IND submission, the company intends to initiate a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2a clinical trial in 2H07. In addition, the company has filed new patent applications in the U.S. with respect to the product.
[T]he Company will initiate its Phase I Clinical Trials of WBI-1001 within the next week, in Montreal, in a medically supervised study involving 36 patients suffering mild to moderate psoriasis. ... Clinical data on safety and efficacy from the Phase I Clinical Trials of the Company's anti-psoriasis candidate should be available by the end of this year. If the results are as the Company expects, Phase II trials should commence in mid-2008.
