Search or shop online and raise money for Psoriasis Cure Now
Would you like to raise money for Psoriasis Cure Now every time you conduct an internet search or buy a product online? Simply click on the link to get started. Thanks!
The 2008 Psoriasis Cure Now patient calendar is out, and the website, featuring our first expanded patient profile, is now live. The calendar tells the story of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis through 12 profiles, and will be used to educate lawmakers and the media about psoriasis, as well as to inspire patients and the physicians who treat them.
But we need your help. Which VIP do YOU think most needs to be educated about psoriasis? Check out the calendar website and learn how to get the word out to VIP's, and how to get a copy of the calendar for yourself.
Humira receives FDA approval for moderate to severe psoriasis
Abbott today announced that Humira (adalimumab), which is already approved for psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
In a pivotal US and Canadian trial, at week 16 of treatment, 71% of psoriasis patients receiving Humira had achieved a 75% improvement in psoriasis symptoms (compared to 7% of patients receiving a placebo). Impressive figures.
FDA approval of this powerful new treatment option is good news for psoriasis patients.
Happy Birthday to Ben Franklin (our celebrity spokesman)
Benjamin Franklin, not just among the greatest Americans of all time but someone who was battling psoriasis at the very time he was battling our British cousins, was born 302 years ago TODAY. Happy Birthday Ben!
You can read Ben's own writings about his psoriasis -- which are still relevant today -- at our Ben Franklin - Psoriasis Headquarters. [Note: our Franklin pages were written two years ago and clearly need some revisions. We've added them to the revision queue.]
Enbrel shows strong results in pediatric psoriasis patients
Treating psoriasis in children is difficult, in part because most treatments have not been studied in pediatric patients, and also because parents fear exposing their children to treatments that might have long-term side effects that may not be known for decades. But under-treatment of children carries its own, very real risks, including children who do not feel good on a daily basis and children whose self-esteem takes a big hit from being teased and stared at by their peers (and even some grown-ups).
In the study, which lasted a total of 48 weeks, children between the ages of 4 and 17 with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis responded very well to Enbrel. After 12 weeks, 57 percent of Enbrel patients had achieved a 75 improvement in psoriasis symptoms, versus 11% on placebo. At week 36, two-thirds of pediatric patients had achieved a 75 percent improvement.
What about safety? There were a few adverse events that were considered serious, but they were resolved successfully. The vast majority of children seemed to handle the treatment without incident. Of course, even a 48-week study might not satisfy parents trying to make a treatment decision for a child with many decades of life ahead. Fortunately, etanercept has been around for a number of years, and the study authors point out that the safety profile of this treatment in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis patients remains good even after eight years. A hopeful sign.
Amgen & Wyeth report that they have filed with the FDA seeking approval to market Enbrel for pediatric patients with moderate to severe psoriasis. It would provide children with an important new option, and hopefully encourage other companies to test their treatments in children, giving pediatric dermatologists and these patients' families the ability to make more-informed treatment decisions.
We believe children have been the forgotten psoriasis patients for too long. Let's hope this study marks a new era that brings new attention to helping children with this painful disease.
Psoriasis Cure Now today named Congressman David Wu of Oregon and Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey as its "Health Care Advocates of the Year" for 2007.
The lawmakers introduced the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Research, Cure, and Care Act of 2007 in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. The bills would, among other things, "expand and intensify research" on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Psoriasis research funding has lagged at NIH even as biomedical research on other diseases has doubled. The House bill, H.R. 1188, currently has 60 cosponsors, while the Senate bill, S. 1459, has nine cosponsors.
"Congressman Wu and Senator Menendez stepped forward in 2007 to address a persistent, 15-year shortfall in psoriasis research funding," said Michael Paranzino, president of Psoriasis Cure Now. "Their bill, if it becomes law, will go a long way towards improving the lives of the as many as 7.5 million Americans with psoriasis. We applaud their leadership and wish them success in moving this bill forward."
Psoriasis is a disease of the immune system that can first strike at any age, causing dry, painful skin lesions that can crack, bleed and itch. Many people with psoriasis also have psoriatic arthritis, a chronic, progressive inflammatory disease that causes joint pain, stiffness and swelling. A recent study found that those with severe psoriasis died an average of four years earlier than people without severe psoriasis.
Winners for 2006 were Congressman Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania, and Tom and Joy Murdough of the Murdough Foundation of Hudson, Ohio. The winners in 2005 were Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, Rep. Ralph Regula of Ohio and Rep. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut.
The National Psoriasis Foundation's Capitol Hill Day is coming soon
The National Psoriasis Foundation will be holding its Capitol Hill Day on March 2-3, 2008. It's a great chance to make an impact for the psoriasis community by going to Washington, DC and meeting with the offices of your federal lawmakers to educate them about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. As an added bonus, CariDee English (America's Next Top Model 2006) will also be there.
It's also a lot of fun. There's something special about being with 100 or so other psoriasis patients visiting the Hill together. We encourage you to attend this event. You can learn more from their website.
If, however, you cannot make it to Washington, DC on those days, Psoriasis Cure Now offers what we call our "Coming to DC" campaign--think of it as your very own Capitol Hill Day. Just tell us when you can be in DC, any day of the year, and we'll schedule meetings for you with the offices of your lawmakers, we'll prepare all the materials, join you in the meetings, and even try to buy you lunch (but no guarantees on the lunch!).
It would not take much of your time in DC--from one to three hours for the entire Capital Hill visit--well worth it whether you are coming to DC for work for for play. And there is no charge for any of this.
So please, try to attend the National Psoriasis Foundation's Capitol Hill Day. But if you can't make it on that date, just contact us (comingtodc@psoriasis-cure-now.org or 301-571-2393) in advance of your next visit to Washington, DC, so we can contact your lawmakers and let them know you'd like to stop by to talk about the need for more research on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.
Psoriasis treatment reportedly helped Alzheimer's patient in minutes!
It is not every day that the popular (19 million page view a day, a few more than our website) Drudgereport links to an article about a psoriasis treatment, but this article is pretty interesting, even though it is about a single patient. Here's the article:
Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California injected etanercept ... into the spine of an 81-year-old man who is in the early stages of the disease.
Before the drug, he performed poorly on cognitive tests and could not name his doctors or remember where he was.
But ten minutes after it was injected he could name both of these.
The results are published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation.
Etanercept is a popular biologic treatment for moderate to severe psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and other diseases. It is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker. Let's hope a more rigorous (more than 1 patient!) study shows it helps with Alzheimer's.
People with psoriasis and those with vitiligo face some of the same problems, in terms of poor public understanding of the disease and frequent misunderstanding that somehow our diseases pose a threat to others--which they do not.
Vitiligo causes skin to lose its pigment, which is difficult for anyone to live with, but may be even more challenging for African-Americans like Lee Thomas. Vitiligo makes someone look "different," just as psoriasis makes us look "different." We have not yet read the book but we have seen Lee Thomas on national TV promoting it. He is a great role model for those of us who look different, and we wish him and those with vitiligo well as we all seek improved health and better public understanding of our *noncontagious* diseases.
Scientists recently found that psoriasis sufferers may benefit from applications of a mixture of honey, beeswax and olive oil. In a study of people suffering from psoriasis and other inflammatory skin disorders, 60 percent showed significant improvement when treated with the honey-based mixture.
The neti pot craze: how long before it reaches psoriasis?
Psoriasis, because it has no cure, is never lacking for alternative remedies, from the harmless to the helpful to the ridiculous to the dangerous. It makes us wonder how long before this craze is said to improve psoriasis:
Originally part of a millennia-old Indian yogic tradition, the practice of nasal irrigation - jala neti - is performed with a small pot that looks like a cross between Aladdin's lamp and your grandmother's gravy boat. The neti pot made its way into this country in the early 1970s as a yoga meditation device, but even as yoga became mainstream, the neti pot remained on the fringes of alternative culture.
That is, until now. Due to a confluence of influences, the neti pot is having what can only be termed a moment, sold in drugstores, health food stores, even at Wal-Mart and Walgreens.
The practice gained wide exposure last spring when it was introduced on Oprah Winfrey's show....
Well, anyone want to give it a try and share your experiences? There's no reason to believe nasal irrigation will improve psoriasis, but it's been on Oprah....
