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Psoriasis group hails FDA approval of Remicade for psoriatic arthritis
(May 17, 2005) Psoriasis Cure Now, a patient advocacy group, responded today to news that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Remicade (infliximab) to reduce the signs and symptoms of active arthritis in patients with psoriatic arthritis.
“The FDA’s approval of Remicade for psoriatic arthritis is great news for psoriatic arthritis patients,” said Michael Paranzino, president of Psoriasis Cure Now. “Psoriatic arthritis receives precious little government research funding, making it all the more important for the private sector to develop new treatments for this painful and often debilitating disease.”
Psoriatic arthritis is a chronic, progressive and debilitating inflammatory disease that often causes joint pain, stiffness and swelling, as well as bone damage. It appears in more than one million of the 6.5 million Americans with psoriasis, an incurable, recurring disease of the immune system that can first strike at any age, causing dry, painful skin lesions that can crack, bleed and itch. The federal government spends just $1 per patient annually researching psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis combined. Psoriasis Cure Now has been educating Congress about the need for a more significant commitment to psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis research, and has a web-based campaign here.
“The news of Remicade’s approval is particularly welcome at this time, coming as it does during National Arthritis Month,” Paranzino added.
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