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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.
November 11, 2006: FDA Informs Public of Nationwide Recall of 500mg Strength Store-Brand Acetaminophen Caplets (FDA news release) [If you buy store-brand pain relievers from places like CVS or Long's Drug Stores, then you will want to review this news release and make sure you do not have any of the recalled acetaminophen.]
November 3, 2006: 24-Week Clear Study Results Confirm Sustained Efficacy and Safety of Raptiva(r) in Moderate-to-Severe Psoriasis Patients With Co-Morbidities (Serono news release) [This study had some interesting findings. First, it looked at psoriasis patients taking Raptiva {efalizumab} who had significant improvement at 12 weeks, but who had not achieved the current gold standard of "PASI 75" {roughly a 75% improvement}. Nearly half of those who reached PASI 50 by 12 weeks reached PASI 75 if they stayed on Raptiva to 24 weeks. {Twelve weeks is the arbitrary time period and PASI 75 the arbitrary improvement figure typically used in these studies and carefully reviewed by the US FDA when they are evaluating whether they will approve a treatment.} Second, the study looked at patients who did not respond to or could not take traditional therapies--patients who also had more severe disease and a greater past history of co-morbidities, including psoriatic arthritis and hypertension. The study found that one in four of those hardest to treat patients still achieved PASI 75 on Raptiva by week 12, a reminder to psoriasis patients that even after they fail to improve on one or more treatments, they should not give up but should KEEP LOOKING for a treatment that may work for them.]
October 27, 2006: Gene Could Point to Crohn's, Colitis Treatments (Forbes/HealthDay News) ["A newly discovered gene may help protect carriers against Crohn's disease and colitis, inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) that affect an estimated one million Americans, researchers say. The gene produces a protein that's key to a cellular receptor for interleukin-23 (IL-23), a protein involved in the body's inflammatory processes, explains a report published in the Oct. 27 issue of Science. ... A number of drugs in various stages of development are being tested against IL-23-related conditions, including psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis...." For more on interleukin-23 (IL-23), listen to our podcast on the future of psoriasis treatments. And for more on this Crohn's discovery, see this Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America news release.]
October 23, 2006: Psoriasis Cure Now celebrates “Health Care Advocate of the Year” winners (Psoriasis Cure Now News Release) ["Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today announced its 2006 'Health Care Advocates of the Year.' The recipients are Congressman Jim Gerlach of Pennsylvania, and Tom and Joy Murdough of the Murdough Foundation of Hudson, Ohio."]
October 10, 2006: Psoriasis Linked to Higher Risk of Heart Attack (Forbes/HealthDay News) ["Psoriasis sufferers may face an increased risk of having a heart attack, a new study suggests. The risk appears to be most pronounced among younger patients with more severe forms of the disease, according to a paper appearing in the Oct. 11 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association." Our full statement on this troubling news can be found here: Psoriasis Cure Now reacts to JAMA study suggesting psoriasis patients may be at increased risk for heart attack. The full JAMA study is available here. Why we're concerned: "'The absolute risk is still low, even for someone who has severe disease,' Gelfand says. 'If you're in your 40s or 50s, your risk of having a heart attack each year due to psoriasis is about one in 400 to one in 600. Over 10 years, that adds up to about one in 40-60. So it does become a significant risk factor over time.'" And this: "It's possible psoriasis contributes between 2,000 to 3,000 extra heart attacks each year in the United States, Gelfand says. However, this was a cohort study that observed an association; more research is needed to pinpoint psoriasis as a cause of heart attacks." More than ever, we need your help.]
October 10, 2006: Study to genotype six common diseases (UPI) ["Six common diseases have been selected as the first to undergo whole genome analysis by the U.S. Genetic Association Information Network. ... The six diseases are: psoriasis, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression and anxiety, and diabetic nephropathy. Using biological samples collected during earlier clinical studies, GAIN will evaluate the subtle differences between the genomes of approximately 1,000-2,000 healthy volunteers and the genomes of 1,000-2,000 patients with the condition being studied. Scientists say identifying genetic differences between the two groups will speed development of methods to prevent, diagnose, treat and even cure common conditions."]
October 7, 2006: New Data Reinforce Safety Profile Of Enbrel (etanercept) (Wyeth News Release) ["The {open label} study confirmed that the overall safety profile of ENBREL did not change with extended dosing for up to 2.5 years." The patients were on a 50 mg once weekly dose for the latest portion of this study.]
October 6, 2006: Human Anti-IL12p40 Shows Promise in Plaque Psoriasis (Doctor's Guide) ["Human anti-IL12p40 (CNTO 1275), administered subcutaneously, seems to be an effective psoriasis treatment, according to phase 2 results released here at the 15th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV). ... The active treatment subjects received 1 of 4 regimens: 1 injection of 50 mg or 100 mg, 4 weekly 50 mg injections, or 100 mg injections. ... At week 12, the primary endpoint was achieved in 52%, 59%, 67%, and 81% of patients treated with each human anti-IL12p40 regimen, respectively, compared with 2% of subjects in the placebo arm.... At least a 90% improvement in PASI scores was observed in 23%, 30%, 44%, and 52% of patients in the respective human anti-IL12p40 groups compared with 2% of placebo...."]
October 6, 2006: Efalizumab Safe for Treatment of Chronic Plaque Psoriasis (Doctor's Guide) ["The recombinant, humanized, monoclonal antibody efalizumab {Raptiva} does not increase the risk of arthropathy adverse events in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis, investigators reported here at the 15th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV)."]
October 6, 2006: Study: Abbott's Humira also fights psoriasis (Chicago Sun-Times) ["Abbott Laboratories said a late-stage clinical trial showed its blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis medicine Humira was more than twice as effective in treating psoriasis as the standard drug treatment methotrexate. ... North Chicago-based Abbott's study found that nearly 80 percent of patients treated with Humira had a 75 percent reduction in disease activity after 16 weeks of treatment, compared with a 35.5 percent reduction for patients treated with methotrexate." Humira is already FDA-approved for psoriatic arthritis.]
October 5, 2006: Isotechnika psoriasis extension trial meets endpoints (Reuters) ["Canadian biotech firm Isotechnika Inc. (ISA.TO) said on Thursday that a Phase III extension trial of its ISA247 psoriasis treatment met all safety and efficacy endpoints. ... In the first 24 weeks, patients exhibited a 60-percent mean improvement in psoriasis area and severity index scores. After an additional 36 weeks of treatment, there was a 54-percent mean improvement, said the Edmonton, Alberta-based company. There were no clinically significant changes in kidney function, cholesterol, triglycerides, new onset diabetes, infectious complications, or other laboratory parameters, the company said."]
October 3, 2006: Psoriasis Cure Now releases new podcast discussing Remicade as a psoriasis treatment (Psoriasis Cure Now News Release) ["Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today released the newest in its series of psoriasis podcasts, this one focused on Remicade (infliximab) for the treatment of psoriasis. Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Centocor’s Remicade for the treatment of adults with severe psoriasis. The podcast includes a pair of interviews. Alan Menter, M.D., Chairman of the Division of Dermatology at Baylor University Medical Center and a renowned dermatologist, speaks about Remicade’s efficacy and safety profile. The podcast also includes an interview with Mike Hills, a Remicade patient from Virginia, who shares his experience with the treatment and walks us through an infusion from the patient perspective. The free podcast is available from the Psoriasis Cure Now website, or via iTunes."]
September 27, 2006: J&J's Remicade Cleared for Psoriasis (AP/Houston Chronicle) ["Health care products company Johnson & Johnson said Wednesday the Food and Drug Administration approved Remicade to treat severe cases of psoriasis. ... In clinical studies, eight out of 10 patients showed significant improvement after using Remicade for 10 weeks. The drug is delivered through a two-hour infusion. ... {A}s many as 7.5 million people in the U.S. have some form of psoriasis."]
September 21, 2006: Support for psoriasis sufferers (Psoriasis Cure Now radio feed) ["Five to seven million Americans suffer from the chronic skin condition, psoriasis. Although it's not uncommon, psoriasis often causes those who have it to feel isolated as they struggle to understand and treat the disease. To help patients understand it and feel less alone, Psoriasis Cure Now is offering a series of free educational podcasts."]
September 9, 2006: UPDATE on the Psoriasis Cure Now letter writing campaign to the National Institutes of Health [On August 28, Psoriasis Cure Now launched a letter writing campaign to the National Institutes of Health to reinforce for NIH officials that psoriasis is a serious disease that merits increased research funding. Even as Congress has doubled NIH funding over the last decade, psoriasis research funding has fallen. In addition, back in April, NIH had released a statement that read, in part, 'Understanding the genetics of skin disorders [like psoriasis] may well have important implications for more serious illnesses, such as asthma.' (italics added) We were happy to learn that after more than four months, NIH has now corrected that statement on its website. The sentence now reads: "Understanding the genetics of skin disorders may well have important implications for other serious illnesses, such as asthma." (italics added) This is no doubt due to the letters that psoriasis patients and their loved ones have sent to NIH through our web site. Thanks for your help! We appreciate NIH for making that change. But the letter-writing campaign continues, and we need your support. NIH is still underfunding psoriasis research, so they need to hear from you today. Thanks! (And thanks to the National Psoriasis Foundation for alerting us to the change in the NIH statement.]
September 8, 2006: 'Allergy cells' can aggravate cancer and psoriasis (EurekAlert - Karolinska Institutet news release) ["Associate professor Gunner Nilsson at Karolinska Institutet and his research group have now found a possible explanation for the link between mast cells and several non-allergic diseases. The study, which is presented online by The Journal of Clinical Investigation, shows that mast cells can be activated in a previously unknown way that might lead to chronic inflammation. 'These new findings contribute to our understanding of the part played by the mast cell in atopical eczema, psoriasis and Hodgkins Lymphoma,' says Mr Nilsson. 'We hope that our research will make it possible for scientists to develop new forms of therapy for the mast cell-related diseases.'"]
September 6, 2006: University Hospitals Gets $5M Gift For Psoriasis Research (NewsNet5 - Ohio) ["University Hospitals of Cleveland Tuesday announced a $5 million gift for research and treatment of the skin disease psoriasis. The gift comes from the Murdough Foundation, whose President Thomas Murdough Jr. founded the toy companies Little Tykes and Step-Two. ... According to a University Hospitals press release, the gift is the largest known in the U.S. for dermatology at an academic medical center." Given that the entire federal government spends just $6 million each year on psoriasis research, this one gift is indeed a huge step forward.]
September 1, 2006: Tumor Necrosis Factor Blockers May Not Cause Cancer After All (Science Daily) ["...researchers at Harvard Medical School's Brigham and Women's Hospital set out to investigate the association between treatment with TNF blockers and occurrence of cancer in a large sample of patients with RA {rheumatoid arthritis}. Their results, featured in the September 2006 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism, indicate that biologic DMARD therapy poses no greater risk for cancer than therapy with a standard prescription DMARD, methotrexate (MTX). {But the researchers acknowledge} the need for ongoing studies into the risks and benefits associated with anti-TNF therapy." Encouraging, but we really will not know how these therapies fare over 20 year periods...until they have been around for 20 years.]
September 1, 2006: Perrigo: FDA Tentatively OKs Scalp Foam (AP/Houston Chronicle) ["Perrigo Co. said Friday its Israeli unit received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a generic version of Olux Foam, a drug to treat scalp psoriasis. Final approval will not be granted until the expiration of a 30-month period, unless the patent on Olux Foam expires, or is judged to be invalid or not infringed. The owner of the patent, Connetics Corp., filed suit in New Jersey federal court in 2005 to stop Perrigo from selling a generic version of Olux Foam. Litigation between the two sides is currently ongoing, Perrigo said."]
August 31, 2006: FlakeHQ.com celebrates 10 years online! [Congratulations, Ed! If you have not visited FlakeHQ.com lately, check it out. A place to laugh and to learn.]
August 28, 2006: Psoriasis Cure Now launches letter writing campaign to National Institutes of Health (Psoriasis Cure Now News Release) ["Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today launched a letter writing campaign to the National Institutes of Health to reinforce for NIH officials that psoriasis is a serious disease that merits increased research funding. Even as Congress has doubled NIH funding over the last decade, psoriasis research funding has fallen. In addition, NIH recently released a statement that read, in part, 'Understanding the genetics of skin disorders [like psoriasis] may well have important implications for more serious illnesses, such as asthma.' Asthma research received $289 million in NIH funding during fiscal year 2005; psoriasis research received just $6 million, according to NIH. People can write to NIH directly through the Psoriasis Cure Now website."]
August 27, 2006: TNF Blocking Agents: Understanding Risks vs. Benefits (Practical Dermatology) [From a magazine for dermatologists: "Based on the data, the authors concluded that those treated with TNF-blocking antibodies had 3.3 times the risk of developing cancer than those given placebo and 2.2 times the risk of serious infection. These results may be alarming to patients and physicians, especially those who take a cursory look at reports and summaries drawn from the full publication. But, according to Alan Menter, MD, chair of the division of dermatology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX, much of what is reported in this study was already known. 'Based on the recent meta-analysis, there is of course some reason for concern, but perhaps not major concern,' he says. ... 'If there is anything to be pulled from this study, it is that it should remind physicians to be diligent in screening patients before prescribing these drugs, as well as at each visit, because they do come with some risks of infection.' Importantly, Dr. Menter notes that the benefits of TNF-blocking therapies when prescribed and applied properly are very strong and outweigh the potential risks involved. 'There have been over a million people treated with these drugs, and the benefits are very well documented,' he says."]
August 23, 2006: Psoriasis Cure Now reaching out to two million MySpace users with psoriasis (Psoriasis Cure Now News Release) ["Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today launched its MySpace site, joining more than 100 million other users at the wildly popular social networking site. The psoriasis group is building a team of volunteer advisors to help it work within the MySpace world to support the estimated two million MySpace users with psoriasis, while helping educate the other 98 million about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. 'To paraphrase bank robber Willie Sutton, we joined MySpace because that’s where the people are, particularly young people,' said Michael Paranzino, president of Psoriasis Cure Now. 'It's the same reason our podcasts are available free on iTunes.'" For more information on the group’s MySpace initiative and other efforts to help children with psoriasis, visit www.PsoriasisKids.org."]
August 16, 2006: Psoriasis Cure Now launches “Back to School” resources for parents of children with psoriasis (Psoriasis Cure Now News Release) ["Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today released two important new resources to help parents of children with psoriasis as their kids head back to school. The group’s latest podcast includes an interview with a leading pediatric dermatologist discussing how to treat psoriasis in children and how to help them cope with it; and the group released a fact sheet on psoriasis in children that parents can print off the internet and deliver to their child’s school teacher. These resources and more are available at www.PsoriasisKids.org."]
August 15, 2006: Centocor Gets Added FDA Remicade OK (AP/MSN) ["Remicade received FDA approval in May 2005 for reducing active arthritis signs and symptoms in patients with psoriatic arthritis. The new approval allows the company to market the drug to inhibit structural damage and improve physical function in patients with active psoriatic arthritis." Amgen & Wyeth's Enbrel also has this expanded FDA approval.]
August 11, 2006: Combined ointment effective for psoriasis (UPI) [We're posting this even though it is more than a little bit silly. "A combination ointment for psoriasis is more effective than some recently British-approved biological treatments, a study finds. ... The review analyzed six studies involving 2,452 patients treated with the calcipotriol and betamethasone dipropionate combination ointment {U.S. brand name Taclonex}, and found that in the 261 patients with severe psoriasis, 88.8 percent improved by 50 percent or more after four weeks of treatment {higher rates than the biologics at 12 weeks.}" It's silly because virtually any potent steroid can provide most patients with major improvement relatively quickly; the question is, what happens next? Taclonex is FDA-approved in adults for up to four weeks. For people with psoriasis, who typically have the disease for 50 years, one month is nice but insufficient. That said, we applaud all new effective treatments, and are pleased to be hearing reports of people being helped by Taclonex.]
August 10, 2006: New Link Found Between Psoriasis And Heart Disease: Elevated homocysteine seen in small study (Skin & Allergy News) ["The latest piece of evidence linking psoriasis with cardiovascular disease suggests that patients with the skin disease are at high risk of having elevated serum levels of homocysteine, Dr. Anne-Marie Tobin said at the annual meeting of the British Association of Dermatologists. In the general population, hyperhomocysteinemia has been shown to be an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease, with a magnitude of risk similar to that of smoking and hyperlipidemia. Elevated levels of homocysteine have been linked to atherosclerosis, endothelial damage, and thrombogenesis. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality among patients with psoriasis. The standardized risk of developing cardiovascular disease among patients admitted to a hospital with severe psoriasis is more than 1.5 times that of the general population, Dr. Tobin said. The precise reasons why patients with psoriasis are at risk for cardiovascular disease remain unclear, although several possible contributory factors exist. Some of the excess cardiovascular risk may relate to increased rates of smoking and hypertension, risk factors that have been documented in this patient population. 'Moreover, there has been a suggestion from the rheumatology literature that chronic inflammation elevates cardiovascular risk, although this has yet to be confirmed in psoriasis,' noted Dr. Tobin, who is with the department of dermatology at Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Incorporating the National Children's Hospital in Dublin. Patients with psoriasis also have been found to have raised levels of lipoprotein A, which further increases risk for coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke. Moreover, small uncontrolled studies have suggested that patients with psoriasis may have low levels of folate, which helps break down homocysteine. The accelerated rate of keratinocyte turnover seen in psoriasis is thought to lower levels of folate, she said."]
August 9, 2006: Psoriasis Cure Now releases new podcast about the ‘biologics breakthrough’ in psoriasis treatment (Psoriasis Cure Now News Release) ["Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today released the newest in its series of psoriasis podcasts, this one focused on the biologic treatments that are revolutionizing psoriasis disease management. The heart of the podcast is an interview with Ivor Caro, M.D., Medical Director of Dermatology at Genentech and a former Harvard Medical School faculty member who conducted clinical trials on many of the biologics now coming to market for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. The free podcast is available from the Psoriasis Cure Now website."]
July 27, 2006: Psoriasis group asks Farrar, Straus and Giroux to make corrections to future editions of Rich Cohen’s memoir “Sweet and Low” (Psoriasis Cure Now News Release) ["Psoriasis Cure Now has asked Farrar, Straus and Giroux, publisher of Rich Cohen’s family memoir “Sweet and Low,” to correct inaccuracies in its depiction of psoriasis in future editions of the book. ... One of Cohen’s aunts is portrayed as a malevolent force in the book, and the errors arise in depictions of her psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, diseases that the book trivializes and portrays incompletely." More on Sweet and Low is available here.]
July 26, 2006: HealthTalk Live: Phony cures (HealthTalk.com) [The president of Psoriasis Cure Now will appear on this internet radio show tonight, July 26, at 8:30 pm EDT, 5:30 pm PDT. You can listen to it any time from this page. The topic of the program is phony cures and how to protect yourself from being taken in by them. We will be discussing our effort to convince Google to adhere to its own policy and stop running advertisements for phony psoriasis 'cures' on its site.]
July 23, 2006: U.S. Senate expresses strong support for psoriasis research in key appropriations bill (U.S. Senate Report excerpts) [The Senate this week issued its Appropriations Report for its annual bill that funds the National Institutes of Health. The Report includes strong language in support of increasing research on psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Good news!]
**July 20, 2006: Psoriasis group launches new psoriasis podcast series with look to future of psoriasis treatment (Psoriasis Cure Now News Release) ["Psoriasis Cure Now, a nonprofit patient advocacy group, today unveiled the first in a new series of podcasts that will discuss issues of interest to people with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis. These audio programs, which include interviews with leaders in the fields of psoriasis treatment and research, can be listened to on any computer and can also be downloaded from Apple’s iTunes website to be played on an iPod. The first psoriasis podcast includes an interview with Steven R. Feldman, MD, PhD ...on the future of psoriasis treatment. These free podcasts are available here from the Psoriasis Cure Now website."]**
July 18, 2006: A comparative study of impairment of quality of life in children with skin disease and children with other chronic childhood diseases (British Journal of Dermatology) [An important study has confirmed (unfortunately) in children what previous research had shown for adults: psoriasis impairs quality of life comparably to other chronic diseases that have traditionally been seen as more detrimental than psoriasis. The silver lining is that this study will help us demonstrate to lawmakers and insurers the seriousness of psoriasis as we seek to increase research and improve access to treatments. The study is summarized here: "Children with serious skin conditions feel their quality of life is impaired to the same extent as those with chronic illnesses such as epilepsy, renal disease and diabetes...." Psoriasis impaired children's quality of life comparable to that seen in asthma, epilepsy and diabetes. "'Our study shows that children with chronic skin diseases - and their parents - reported the same level of quality of life impairment as the parents of children with many other chronic illnesses' says lead author Dr Paula Beattie from the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow. 'Skin diseases are often more obvious to other children than chronic diseases such as asthma or diabetes and are more likely to lead to alienation, name calling, teasing and bullying. Some skin conditions can also disturb children's sleep and cause lack of self-confidence, embarrassment and poor self-esteem, especially as they get older. Although skin diseases may not shorten life in the same way as serious conditions like cystic fibrosis, they can cause children as much, if not more, distress in their everyday lives.'" A 1999 study of adults found: "Patients with psoriasis reported reduction in physical functioning and mental functioning comparable to that seen in cancer, arthritis, hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and depression."]
July 18, 2006: Cimzia Shows Promise in Treatment of Psoriasis (UCB press release) [Impressive effectiveness shown by Cimzia in a small Phase Two study: "UCB today announced significant positive results from the first study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CIMZIA(TM) (certolizumab pegol, CDP870), a new type of anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) therapy, in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis." Between 75% and 83% achieved "PASI 75", the key measure of a psoriasis treatment's effectiveness, versus just 7% on placebo. Cimzia is also showing promise in Crohn's disease.]
July 17, 2006: Study Compares Psoriasis Treatments (Forbes/HealthDay News) [Safety vs. effectiveness: "In a head-to-head trial of two treatments for chronic plaque psoriasis, Psoralen-UV-A (PUVA) therapy proved more effective than narrowband UV-B (NB-UVB) in treating the illness, U.K. researchers report. ... In patients with skin types I through IV (skin that's more likely to burn), PUVA was 84 percent effective at clearing skin, compared to 65 percent for NB-UVB. Patients receiving PUVA required a median of 17 treatments before their skin cleared, compared with 28.5 treatments for those receiving NB-UVB. Six months after skin clearance, 68 percent of patients in the PUVA group were still clear, compared to 35 percent of those in the NB-UVB group. ... Even though PUVA appears more effective, it does has a number of disadvantages, the researchers said. It may cause nausea, it cannot be used during pregnancy, and it has the potential to cause skin cancer."]
July 3: Living in the skin he's in (Daily Record - NJ) ["Psoriasis Cure Now, which aims to have victims of the disease be more vocal about demanding federal medical research to find a cure, recently launched a campaign calling on Google to stop displaying ads that advertise what Paranzino called false hopes of cures for the disease and 'enforce its own corporate policy against accepting advertisements that promote phony cures for incurable diseases.' Last year in March, Psoriasis Cure Now asked 1,000 lawmakers and 1,000 journalists in the healthcare field to view images of patients with the disease as a way to press for increased funding on research into the disease."]
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