STOPPING PSORIASIS
Psoriasis affects seven to eight million people in the United States. It is a condition where the skin multiplies ten times faster than normal causing red, scaly patches on the skin. Now, doctors say a drug used for arthritis and Crohn's Disease is also helpful for people with psoriasis.
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Mark Bishop loves the outdoors. But for the last 15 years, he'd only wear long sleeve shirts and long pants.
Mark has psoriasis, a skin condition that creates red patchy, scales over 60% of his body. He's tried countless treatments, but nothing helped.
Boni Elewski, M.D.
Dermatologist
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL
"It's really an emotionally disfiguring disease, very, very emotionally scarring."
Dermatologist Boni Elewski says a new class of drugs called biologics offers hope to patients. Remicade is one of those drugs.
Boni Elewski, M.D.
"Patients who get this drug clear up so quick that I've never seen anything like this before."
Initial treatment consists of three, 3-hour infusions of the drug.
Boni Elewski, M.D.
"I'm very exited about being a physician now because we really can offer hope to these patients suffering with this disease."
Mark received Remicade as part of a study last summer. His entire body cleared up.
Mark Bishop
Has psoriasis
"Being a big old boy like I am, I was even proud to wear shorts and get out where people could see me in them."
Mark's psoriasis returned while he was waiting for his insurance to cover the treatment.
Now, he's ready to start the infusions again and say goodbye to his disease once and for all.
Doctor Elewski says every psoriasis patient she has treated has responded to this drug.
PSORIASIS: Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease that generally appears as patches of raised red skin covered by flaky white buildup. It is most often found on the knees, elbows, scalp, hands, feet or lower back. Psoriasis can also cause intense itching and burning. More than 4.5 million people in the United States suffer from psoriasis. It is a genetic disease and a family association exists in one out of three cases. Some people have patches of psoriasis in isolated areas of their body, while others can have psoriasis over their whole body. The condition is believed to be related to the immune system; therefore, it is often referred to as an "immune-mediated" disorder. Researchers believe the immune system sends faulty signals that speed up the growth cycle in skin cells. This causes the cells to multiply about 10 times faster than healthy skin cells. Psoriasis can have a severe impact on the emotional state of people affected.
TREATMENT OPTIONS: There are a number of treatment options for patients with psoriasis. For those who have the disease in small spots on their body, a topical steroid cream can be effective. However, steroid creams are not practical for someone who has it on a large percentage of their body. Tar preparations have also been used on patients who have psoriasis. The tar helps keep the skin cells from multiplying so quickly. Another treatment recently used is light treatment. While this can be helpful, many dermatologists do not recommend patients expose themselves to UVA light because of the risk of skin cancer. Other pharmaceutical options have been effective for some patients, but doctors say they can have major side effects.
NEW TREATMENT: Dermatologist Boni Elewski, M.D., from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, says a new group of treatments called biologics are proving effective for patients with psoriasis. One of these drugs is remicade, also called infliximab. Remicade is approved by the FDA for the treatment of Crohn's disease and certain types of arthritis. Dr. Elewski says these conditions have a link to psoriasis in the cells. "The cells in the immune system seem to be similarly damaged and Remicade works in these drugs by sopping up, like a microscopic sponge in the blood, a protein called tumor necrosis factor. It sops it up and decreases the tumor necrosis factor which is elevated in people who have bad psoriasis," says Dr. Elewski.
For the treatment of psoriasis, patients are given the drug intravenously. The patients are initially given three rounds of a three-hour infusion of the drug. Dr. Elewski says the patient generally starts to see the psoriasis clear up after the second treatment and completely clear up by the third treatment. Some patients will have their skin remain clear for up to 20 weeks, while other patients will need more treatments in a shorter period of time. There have been no major side effects from the drug reported by patients. Doctors say with the success they have seen with Remicade, they can now start thinking about the possibility of achieving a long-term remission for patients without the side effects from other drugs.
WHAT'S NEXT? Dr. Elewski says Remicade may be just the beginning of exciting new treatments for patients with psoriasis. She says this drug has to be given intravenously in a clinic setting, so there is a need for a treatment that can be done with the patient at home. Also, some patients need treatment more often than others to keep their skin clear, so there is also room for improvement in that area. The drugs Amevive, Raptiva, Enbrel are used for arthritis.
http://www.remicade.com
1-800-457-6399
Copyright © 2003 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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