National Psoriasis Foundation Meets To Educate Legislators

PORTLAND, Ore., Feb. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Members of the National Psoriasis Foundation are in Washington, D.C., today to educate legislators about the need for access to quality care for people living with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. In meetings with congressional representatives, the Foundation is urging members of the House and Senate to generate awareness about the serious physical and emotional impact of these diseases. With continued advocacy efforts, the National Psoriasis Foundation and patient advocates hope to secure much-needed funding to accelerate the discovery of additional safe and effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
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According to Gail M. Zimmerman, president and CEO of the National Psoriasis Foundation, it's important to keep psoriatic disease at the forefront of governmental discussion. "Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are chronic, potentially disabling diseases that are often misunderstood. Capitol Hill Day offers the chance to educate members of Congress and to continue to advocate on behalf of those living with these diseases."
Additionally, while in D.C. today, the National Psoriasis Foundation will officially recognize several congressional leaders for their commitment to enhancing federal level support of psoriatic disease education and legislation, including Senator Gordon H. Smith (R-OR), Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), Representative Tim Murphy (R-PA), Representative Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA) and Representative Jim Gerlach (R-PA). Last year, Senators Smith and Lautenberg spearheaded the Senate resolution that designated August 2005 as Psoriasis Awareness Month.
More than 100 volunteers with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis are participating in the National Psoriasis Foundation's third annual Capitol Hill Day. Capitol Hill Day is an annually organized advocacy effort that motivates people living with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis to speak out about their conditions. Patient volunteers from the National Psoriasis Foundation will convene at the offices of congressional leaders to tell their personal stories of living with psoriatic disease and to shed light on the life- altering impact of these conditions.
Building on momentum of past Capitol Hill Day events, today's program is specifically designed to allow members of the psoriatic community to lobby Congress to increase federal funding for psoriatic research, address the lack of access to effective treatments, and become personally involved in educating themselves and others about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis as "champions" who directly impact the future of psoriatic disease.

XTRAC Laser for Psoriasis Treatment

Doctors have begun introducing an instrument known as the XTRAC laser to treat psoriasis.
Statistically, about four and a half million Americans suffer from psoriasis.
Psoriasis is a skin condition that is difficult to diagnose and has no cure. The skin troubles associated with psoriasis are caused by abnormal white blood cells. The cells settle into the skin, causing it to become irritated and inflamed.
Experts said the XTRAC laser targets those cells.
Bethesda Dermatologist Dr. Ronald Prussick said the laser works best on people with relatively small, isolated patches that don't respond to other treatments.
"The way it works is it helps get those abnormal white blood cells that are in the skin, back out of the skin back into the blood stream," said Prussick. "It works very well for the scalp, and I also use it for people who have the psoriasis on the hands and the feet, because traditionally, those areas are difficult to treat."
Each laser treatment lasts just a few minutes. But doctors said it usually takes several sessions over a period of weeks to see a difference.
Elizabeth Thornton has been suffering with psoriasis on her hands and feet for two years. She said that at times, it's been so severe she could barely walk and trying to find a treatment that works has been a struggle.
"I've had 10 million creams. I have any cream you can name, I've had so many of them," said Thornton.
The laser has been able to do for Elizabeth what the creams and medications couldn't.
"It cleared up my feet, completely cleared, my hands cleared," said Thornton.
Doctors stress that the laser is not a cure for psoriasis and it only provides temporary relief. They also said the laser won't work for everyone and should be used by people who haven't responded to other treatments.
The cost of the laser treatments is usually covered by health insurance.

Costly New Options In Psoriasis Care

The new biologically engineered treatments promise more targeted therapy without those risks:
Amevive and Raptiva interfere with the harmful T cells, dramatically clearing psoriasis lesions in 20 percent to 40 percent of patients.
Amevive causes those T cells to die, explaining why some people’s symptoms don’t return for months after a three-month course of weekly shots. About 3,500 patients have begun Amevive since FDA approval in January, says maker Biogen Inc. The intramuscular shots are given in a doctor’s office.
In contrast, Raptiva keeps harmful immune cells from getting into and inflaming skin, so patients must take it indefinitely. Sales will begin by Thanksgiving, say makers Genentech Inc. and Xoma Ltd. Patients give themselves weekly under-the-skin shots.
That difference means more than convenience; some insurance pays for in-office therapy but not at-home drugs.
Instead of targeting T cells, Enbrel and Remicade inhibit a protein, TNF, that’s crucial to inflammation. FDA-approved for certain types of arthritis, some doctors already use the drugs for psoriasis’ skin lesions. The FDA now is evaluating Enbrel injections for that use; a final-stage study of intravenous Remicade is about to begin.
Specialists call the four new treatments largely safe but acknowledge that even mildly tinkering with the immune system for years might spur infections or cancer. “We’re crossing our fingers,” Tharp says.
That plus their huge cost means the new drugs are reserved for the worst patients. For less severe psoriasis sufferers, “we’re back in the stone ages,” Tharp says, urging companies to study better options for them, too.
The new options don’t help everyone, cautions Dr. Michael Tharp, dermatology chief at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center. And they’re very expensive, costing $10,000 a year or more.

Health Canada Approves Enbrel For Psoriasis

Psoriasis sufferers living with disfiguring and painful skin lesions have improved prospects for symptom-free remission, following the announcement that Health Canada has approved Enbrel® (etanercept), an innovative biologic therapy for treatment of this debilitating autoimmune disorder.
Affecting more than one million Canadians, psoriasis is a chronic skin condition often characterized by raised, inflamed, red lesions covered by silvery white scales.Biologic medications are a newer class of drugs which function differently than traditional psoriasis treatments by targeting the immune system at the cellular level. Enbrel helps regulate the process that leads to the inflammation of psoriasis and has demonstrated rapid and significant clearing in many patients.
In fact, after 6 months of therapy over half of patients are clear of psoriasis or have minimal lesions while the majority (77%) of patients shows at least a 50% improvement in symptoms. "In addition to pain and the ongoing threat of infections and general physical debilitation, the emotional burden of psoriasis is often underestimated even by physicians," says Dr. Yves Poulin, Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at Laval University, Quebec City. "The approval of Enbrel for psoriasis treatment marks major progress in our ability to treat this disease more effectively and with improved safety."While psoriasis has a physical impact on the body, it can affect a person's emotional well-being. A study published in Lancet last month showed that Enbrel also reduces patient depression and fatigue, both major aspects of psoriasis. Research has also shown that sufferers often battle sexual dysfunction, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. Administered from a pre-filled syringe or a lyophilized vial, Enbrel works by deactivating tumor necrosis factor (TNF), one of the dominant immune system messengers that stimulates overproduction of skins cells and promotes inflammation. Its unique mechanism of action means it can be used continuously, without the need for periodic breaks in treatment. Other than injection site reactions, no adverse events occurred at increased frequency with Enbrel compared to respective control groups in psoriasis trials.On December 20th, 2005, Enbrel received Notice of Compliance from Health Canada for treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis in adults. Previously, Health Canada has approved Enbrel for a number of other diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis. More than 337,000 patients worldwide, including 74,000 with psoriasis, have used Enbrel, and it has more than 450,000 patient-years of post-market exposure.

Treat Psoriasis Naturally With The Power Of The Sun

Brief, regular periods of exposure to natural sunlight can improve or clear psoriasis in some people. This approach to treating psoriasis is called climatotherapy. Sunburn should be avoided because it can make psoriasis worse. Exposure to sunlight is not recommended for people who are sun-sensitive. Sun exposure can cause aging of the skin. An annual medical checkup is advised because sun exposure can increase the chance of skin cancer.

Most Common Type Of Psoriasis

Plaque psoriasis is the most common form of psoriasis. It is characterized by raised, inflamed (red) lesions covered with a silvery white scale. The scale is actually a buildup of dead skin cells. The technical name for plaque psoriasis is psoriasis vulgaris (vulgaris means common). Plaque psoriasis may appear on any skin surface, though the knees, elbows, scalp, and trunk are the most common locations. Sometimes the patches of infected skin are large, extending over much of the body. The patches, known as plaques or lesions, can wax and wane but tend to be chronic. These can be very itchy and if scratched or scraped they may bleed easily. The plaques usually have a well-defined edge and, while they can appear anywhere on the body, the most commonly affected areas are the scalp, knees and elbows. However, if the scalp is involved, you may develop psoriasis on the hairline and forehead. The actual appearance of the plaques can depend on where they are found on the body. Plaques found on the palms and soles can be scaly, however they may not be very red in color. This is due to the thickness of the skin at these sites. If the plaques are in moist areas, such as in the creases of the armpits or between the buttocks, there is usually little or no scaling. The patches are red and have a well-defined border. Chronic (or common) plaque psoriasis affects over 90% of sufferers. It appears usually on the scalp, lower back, elbows, arms, legs, knees and shoulders. It is very much an adult condition.