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[Note: many of the media links below will expire over time.]
Click here for the latest news in psoriasis research and treatment.
June 26, 2006: Abbott Labs Gets FDA OK for Humira Pen (AP) ["Health care products maker Abbott Laboratories Inc. said Monday it received Food and Drug Administration  for a more convenient way for patients to take its arthritis drug Humira. The company said it received approval for its Humira Pen, a pen-like device that patients placed against the skin and push a button, causing a retractable needle to inject the medicine. ... Abbott plans to launch the Humira Pen in August."]
June 22, 2006: Psoriasis Cure Now cheers U.S. House of Representatives for supporting psoriasis research in key appropriations bill (Psoriasis Cure Now News Release) ["Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today praised the House Appropriations Committee for its strong language in support of expanding federally-funded psoriasis research."]
June 20, 2006: Google asked by psoriasis group to stop permitting paid ads to tout phony medical “cures” (Psoriasis Cure Now News Release) ["Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today asked internet search giant Google to enforce its own corporate policy against accepting advertisements that promote phony cures for incurable diseases. Google is currently running numerous paid ads designed to deceive people with psoriasis, a painful, incurable and often debilitating immune system disease that affects as many as 7.5 million Americans."]
June 20, 2006: Heart Disease and Psoriasis Link Grows Stronger: New studies indicate elevated risk for MI (Skin & Allergy News) ["Mounting evidence suggests that patients with psoriasis are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to several large epidemiologic surveys presented at the annual meeting of the Society for Investigative Dermatology. Over the last decade, several studies have shown that people with psoriasis often have comorbidities including depression, hypertension, and diabetes. The new studies confirm these earlier findings, and indicate clearly that psoriasis patients are at increased risk for myocardial infarction. The big question now is whether the skin condition itself is an independent risk factor or if the increase in heart disease is because of adverse effects from psoriasis therapies or to increased likelihood of smoking, depression, or overweight, which are also more prevalent in psoriatic patients than in the general population. ... In a separate poster presentation, Dr. Andrea Neimann, a member of Dr. Gelfand's research team, calculated the odds ratios for various cardiovascular risk factors in the psoriatic population in the GPRD. Patients with mild psoriasis were 27% more likely than were controls to have diabetes, 16% more likely to have hypertension, 28% more likely to have dyslipidemia, 40% more likely to be smokers, and 29% more likely to have a BMI greater than 30. Those with severe psoriasis were 86% more likely than controls to have diabetes, 25% more likely to have hypertension, 31% more likely to be dyslipidemic, 31% more likely to be smokers, and 84% more likely to be obese. ... According to Dr. Gelfand, there's certainly a plausible reason to believe the skin disease itself is playing a major role. 'Psoriasis is a Th-1-mediated inflammatory disease, and increasing evidence has linked chronic Th-1 inflammation with atherosclerosis and MI.'"]
June 17, 2006: Biotech startup VLST gets $55 million (Seattle Post-Intelligencer) [Thank goodness for the private sector. The entire federal government spent just $6 million on psoriasis research last year. Check out what this tiny little company may be able to spend: "VLST Corp., a tiny Seattle biotechnology company that was formed by two former Amgen researchers, has scored $55 million in venture capital that it will use to develop experimental treatments for diseases such as lupus, psoriasis and multiple sclerosis. ... The money should carry VLST for about three to four years, at which time it hopes to have a lead product candidate moved through the 'proof-of-concept' phase." If you would like the federal government to invest more taxpayer dollars in research on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, join the battle here.]
June 14, 2006: Sacramento, California: Invitation to screening of "My Skin's On Fire" documentary (BeyondPsoriasis.com/Genentech) ["A free screening of 'My Skin's On Fire,' a documentary film about psoriasis, will be held on Thursday, June 22, 2006, from 6:00 - 9:30 PM, at UC Davis Medical Center, Dermatology Center Conference Room, {**note updated address**} 3301 C Street, Suite 1400, Sacramento, CA 95816. 6:00 PM Hors d'oeuvres and welcome reception; 6:30 PM Introduction from Dermatologist and Filmmaker; 6:45 PM 'My Skin's on Fire' Screening; 8:00 PM Discussion with Dermatologist and Filmmaker; 8:30 PM Post Screening Reception. Beverages and light fare will be served. Please RSVP at 310.309.1018 or amolitor@ccapr.com"]
May 31, 2006: Biogen Buys Swiss Drug Firm (TheStreet.com) [Biogen Idec, which recently sold its psoriasis treatment Amevive, is purchasing a Swiss drug firm that makes the European psoriasis drug Fumaderm and BG-12, a drug in clinical trials for MS and psoriasis.]
May 27, 2006: HPD seeks help in catching bank suspect (Honolulu Advertiser) ["The man, who police said was wearing a blond wig and fake black beard, entered the bank with the weapon about 3:30 p.m. and demanded money from a teller. ... 'We do have a witness who saw him without the wig and he does have psoriasis or red rash under his left eye. So that's going to be identifiable to us,' Capllonch said." Note to thieves with psoriasis: find another line of work. Then again, with as many as 7.5 million Americans living with psoriasis, this does not exactly narrow the possible number of suspects down too much.]
May 26, 2006: Liver Psoriasis: What is Psoriasis of the Liver? (Psoriasis Cure Now Issue Brief) [This page explains the difference between psoriasis and cirrhosis, and also discusses how methotrexate can damage the liver.]
May 25, 2006: Hope: Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Drugs in Clinical Trials (Psoriasis Cure Now Issue Brief) [This is the page to visit if you are interested in joining a clinical trial for psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, or if you just want to learn more about the drugs that may be able to help us in the future. The page is updated often--including several new experimental drugs that were added today--so check back periodically.]
May 18, 2006: Arthritis Drugs May Up Cancer Risk (MedicineNet/WebMD) ["Rheumatoid arthritis patients who take the newer biologic medications have a threefold increase in cancer risk over patients who don't take them, a new analysis suggests. Researchers also concluded that the patients taking the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-blocking drugs Remicade and Humira were twice as likely to develop serious infections. ... The new analysis, published in the May 17 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association, offers some of the strongest evidence yet that TNF-blocking drugs, which have been used by more than half a million patients, further increase the risk of malignancies. Patients should be made aware of the risks associated with treatment, but these risks should not be overstated, says researcher Eric Matteson, MD, of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. He points out that the long-term cancer risk among patients who use the drugs is not known because none of the studies has lasted much longer than a year."]
March 20, 2006: Support group offers hope to sufferers of psoriasis (San Antonio Express-News) ["Now, with lesions covering most of his body, Cecil Ortiz finds comfort through a San Antonio group called Nuevo Amanecer — Spanish for 'new dawn.' It's believed to be the nation's first bilingual psoriasis support group. ... Psoriasis sufferers have itchy, painful lesions and are sometimes treated as lepers in society. Add to that a language barrier, and it's easy to fall into a cycle of despair. 'Psoriasis is a challenging disease, and tough enough for native English speakers to figure out,' said Michael Paranzino, who as president of Psoriasis Cure Now in Washington is lobbying for more research funding. ... It's a disease that can afflict anyone. In his memoirs, Benjamin Franklin wrote of his psoriasis and his problems treating it late in life. ... Now, 300 years after Franklin's birth, there's still no cure. ... The good news, said Paranzino, whose group formed early last year, is that Congress is finally learning about psoriasis. 'People with psoriasis have suffered in silence for too long,' he said. 'We have to be vocal, and we have to make ourselves heard.' Though overall funding for the National Institutes of Health has more than doubled from $11.3 billion in 1995 to $28.6 billion last year, increases for psoriasis research, now at about $6.5 million, have been nominal, Paranzino said." Get involved!]
February 22, 2006: CombinatoRx Discontinues CRx-140 as an Oral Product Candidate For Psoriasis (CombinatoRx News Release) [An important reminder that drug development is costly and often does not pan out. That's why we need many drugs in the development pipeline and also need the federal government to start giving psoriasis/psoriatic arthritis its fair share of research funding.]
***February 21, 2006: New federal government figures are bad news for psoriasis patients. [Psoriasis Cure Now News Release. Please read the news release, get a little bit angry, then direct that anger to sensible action. We need you and everyone you know to take two minutes and add your voices to our campaign to get Congress to support psoriasis research.  We have a lot of meetings with Congressional offices scheduled in the days and weeks ahead, and those meetings will have much greater impact if those offices are receiving letters from voters backing our efforts. Thanks, and please spread the word!]***
February 4, 2006: Eczema Drugs: Warning Upsets Doctors (WebMD) ["The FDA announced earlier this month that it would require its strongest safety warning -- the 'black box' -- on two eczema creams, Elidel and Protopic. The warning states that while 'a causal relationship' is not proved, there have been rare cases of skin cancer and lymphoma among patients taking these drugs. In a highly unusual step, a major medical organization -- the American Academy of Dermatology -- is protesting the FDA action. 'The AAD is very disappointed with this ruling by the FDA,' AAD spokeswoman Abby Van Voorhees, MD, tells WebMD. 'We don't think the science supports this harsh labeling. The link to cancer was not proven, and the data shows these medications to be quite safe.'"]
January 24, 2006: Of Scabs And Scurf: Notes From a Psoriasis Patient's Journal (Washington Post) [The front page of the Washington Post's weekly section on Health today includes a wonderful piece on Franklin's writings about his psoriasis (for more on this, see our Franklin homepage), along with this note: "Benjamin Franklin was an architect of U.S. democracy, a diplomat, an inventor and a psoriasis patient. These excerpts are adapted from his writings about the skin condition, appearing in 'The Papers of Benjamin Franklin' (Oct. 14, 1778 through Jan. 16, 1780). The writings were assembled by Mike Paranzino, president of Psoriasis Cure Now!, a Kensington-based nonprofit group to mark the 300th anniversary of Franklin's birth. Paranzino said he wants people know that the incurable skin condition affects many productive, accomplished people -- and to demonstrate how little has changed for psoriasis patients in 300 years. For information on psoriasis conditions and treatment: www.psorcurenow.org."]
January 23, 2006: FDA Approves Updated Labeling with Boxed Warning and Medication Guide for Two Eczema Drugs, Elidel and Protopic (FDA Press Release) ["The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today announced the approval of updated labeling for two topical eczema drugs, Elidel Cream (pimecrolimus) and Protopic Ointment (tacrolimus). The labeling will be updated with a boxed warning about a possible risk of cancer.... Although a causal link has not been established, rare reports of cancer (for example, skin and lymphoma) have been reported in patients who had been receiving these products. The boxed warning informs healthcare professionals that the long term safety of these drugs has not been established. Although studies are being conducted by the manufacturers of both drugs to try to answer questions about cancer risk, it could be many years before the research is concluded. In the meantime, there is a benefit associated with these drugs when used appropriately."]
January 19, 2006: Heard on the Hill: More Lobbyists?! (Roll Call) [This was in Roll Call, the leading newspaper on Capitol Hill, read by everyone who works there: "Heard on the Hill: What do Ben Franklin and about a dozen Members of Congress and Senators have in common? (Besides sticking their fingers in light sockets.) The answer is: psoriasis. Itchy, ooh, who knew? HOH sure didn't, until we spotted a Franklin look-alike traipsing around Capitol Hill this week handing out 'calling cards' with the Web address www.Ben300.org, the site of a nonprofit called Psoriasis Cure Now, which seeks to find a cure for the disabling skin disease. Ben apparently was shopping for support to get more funding for the cause. According to the group's president, Michael Paranzino, Franklin, who would be celebrating his 300th birthday this month, suffered from psoriasis, as do a handful of lawmakers, though we know not who they are. 'Statistically speaking, there should be two or three Senators, and 8 to 12 Representatives with psoriasis currently serving in Congress,' Paranzino told HOH. 'But ... who they are, I do not know. But I would love to hear from them if they are out there!'"]
January 17, 2006: Group Makes Ben Franklin Their Disease Poster Boy. (KYW Newsradio 1060 Philadelphia) ["Happy birthday, Ben Franklin! You've been named the 'Greatest American with Psoriasis.'"]
January 17, 2006: Happy birthday to Ben Franklin. (Daily Herald - Washington) ["Today is Ben Franklin's 300th birthday. Though he was born Jan. 17, 1706, he's still on folks' minds. Maybe under their skin. Franklin was recently voted the Greatest American with Psoriasis by Psoriasis Cure Now. He edged out Jerry Mathers from 'Leave it to Beaver.'"]
***January 16, 2006: Psoriasis Cure Now Launches Ben Franklin & Psoriasis Campaign. [Ben Franklin had psoriasis! But almost no one knows about it. Coinciding with Franklin's 300th birthday on January 17, Psoriasis Cure Now today is launching its new campaign to change that. By educating the public about Franklin's psoriasis,  we will also educate them about the seriousness of the disease, while inspiring all psoriasis patients with the news that someone as great as Benjamin Franklin battled painful psoriasis just like so many of us do. And be sure to share this website address far and wide: www.Ben300.org !]***
January 9, 2006: Psoriasis is not 'cosmetic' condition (USA Today) [While it is disappointing that USA Today did not print any of your letters, they did print a good letter from the National Psoriasis Foundation and an apology from the man who made the original comment that sparked our campaign: "In the recent article 'Medicare expands tier pricing system,' a word I used to describe the debilitating disease of psoriasis was wrong and insensitive. While some individuals are able to bring their psoriasis under control with less expensive drugs, many others have a persistent and painful condition. In neither case is the condition 'cosmetic.' I want to apologize to anyone taking offense at my comment. Eric Michael, Mercer Human Resource Consulting, Minneapolis" Thanks again to everyone who responded so quickly and forcefully to USA Today. Our guess is that next time, before they print such a charge, they will seek balance from a doctor, patient or patient group (as they should have done originally).]
January 6, 2006: USA Today article update! [On the morning of Jan. 4, more than two million copies of USA Today arrived on doorsteps with an article that suggested psoriasis is a "cosmetic thing." By 10 am Psoriasis Cure Now had protested to USA Today that the depiction was inaccurate and one-sided. By 11 am we had protested to Mercer Health and Benefits, as one of their executives had made the offensive quote that went unchallenged by USA Today. At 10 am eastern time on Jan. 5, we distributed an email to our list of supporters pointing out the article and urging folks to respond. And respond you did! The letters to USA Today began pouring in, and the National Psoriasis Foundation message boards lit up. That evening, USA Today called us to say they were receiving many letters on the issue! Today, Mercer Health and that executive have sent us an apology that they have also sent to USA Today and elsewhere. We will wait until Monday to post their reply to give USA Today a chance to publish it first. Better that 2 million people see it on Monday than USA Today feel it is no longer worth printing if it has already appeared on the web. (Newspapers typically demand that their letters be exclusive to them and not appear elsewhere.) Check back here Monday for another update. GREAT WORK, EVERYONE! Can't you just feel the sleeping giant--the 7 million Americans with psoriasis--waking up?!?! Silent no more.]
January 6, 2006: FlakeHQ January-February 2006 Briefing. (FlakeHQ) [Ed Dewke of the must-read FlakeHQ.com visited Washington, DC recently. This is his account of working with Psoriasis Cure Now to meet with his federal lawmakers about the need for more psoriasis research. Remember: if you are ever visiting Washington, DC, please let us know and set aside 3 hours during your trip so we can meet with YOUR lawmakers about psoriasis research. Psoriasis Cure Now schedules all the meetings, provides you with the materials, and even joins you for the meetings. It is a great way to spend a few hours, and it could help millions of Americans with psoriasis. Just email comingtodc@psorcurenow.org and tell us the dates you will be in Washington. Ed, by the way, is a great guy. Even funnier in person than in his humorous writings about living with this disease.]
January 4, 2006: Medicare expands tier pricing system. (USA Today) [This important article about a potential trend that could force those with psoriasis and other serious diseases to pay huge co-pays for effective but expensive medications, ends with a slam on psoriasis as merely a "cosmetic" ailment. We have protested to USA Today and urge you to write a letter to the editor directly at this address: editor@usatoday.com . The offensive excerpt is here: “'These are people who are typically very sick and need the drugs,' says Guilmette. 'If you're asking them to pay 50% of something costing $20,000 a year, that isn't a competitive practice.' Eric Michael, pharmacy consultant with Mercer Health and Benefits, says that the fourth tier can make sense if employers and insurers are trying to get patients to realize the cost of expensive treatments, so long as there is an out-of-pocket maximum and the benefit is clearly explained. He says some employers need to create such a tier to protect themselves from expensive new treatments that may treat both serious and non-serious conditions. Patients would pay more, for example, if they sought the expensive rheumatoid arthritis treatments Humira or Enbrel for a less serious use, such as for the cosmetic treatment of the rash caused by psoriasis. 'We need to make sure the drugs used are medically appropriate,' he says. 'A lot of plans are not putting those checks in place and are amazed when they spend $12,000 to $13,000 a year to cover a cosmetic thing.'” Is psoriasis trivial? If you think not, then go write your letter to the editor now!]
January 3, 2006: IPC holding free psoriasis patient education event in Santa Monica, California this Saturday, Jan. 7. (IPC brochure) [Looks like a good event for those of you in Southern California.]
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