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Seeking a Cure for Psoriasis — Is it Worth the Trouble?

Friday, October 16th, 2009

Psoriasis can have a lot of detrimental effects on a person’s life.  It is physically uncomfortable — from having an itchy scalp to all around inflamed and irritated skin to swollen, arthritic joints.   It can also be psychologically uncomfortable well since people who do not understand the disease will sometimes either stare or ask inconsiderate questions.

Thus, for the sake of improving a person’s quality of life, it would be worth it to change one’s daily routine, including diet and other activities, to prevent further psoriasis outbreaks.  But how much time and effort would be worth it?  It seems counterproductive that a psoriasis treatment would consume a one’s time and energy more than the disease itself.

In any case, it is up to each person to decide what their priorities are an then decide what level of dedication they are willing to invest to treat/cure this condition.

Natural remedies stress an overall lifestyle change to cure psoriasis long term.  This change tends to be most challenging at first, but less so as time goes on and the individual in question gets accustomed to the different diet and routine.

Also, researchers are constantly working to advance the drugs that are now being used to treat psoriasis.  Johnson and Johnson, for example, recently released a new treatment called Stelara that is supposed to show dramatic improvements for people with moderate to severe psoriasis.  Stelara is extremely expensive, but it also powerful and convenient — only five injections per year to cut the legs out from underneath this bothersome disease.

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Psoriasis News: Stelara Is Now FDA Approved

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

A few days ago I wrote an article anticipating the eventually approved of Stelara by the FDA and now… it is done.  As of right now, you can obtain this groundbreaking new psoriasis treatment in the UK, the general European Union, Canada and the United States for the treatment of moderate to sever plaque psoriasis (the most common type of psoriasis) by prescription only.

Stelara (a product of Johnson and Johnson) is groundbreaking for the dramatic improvements it produces in people suffering from plaque psoriasis (70% improvement according to FDA sanctioned tests), convenient dosing (5 shots per year) and it seems to pose very mild, if any, side effects.  It is a selective immunosuppressant… which is to say that it is designed to target and suppress only certain proteins (interleukin-12 and interleukin-23), which are key players in creating the symptoms of plaque psoriasis.  The active ingredient is called ustekinumab.

As you might be able to guess by the word “immunosuppressant,” however, Stelara is the kind of drug that can open you up to infections that otherwise would have been held off by your body”s natural defenses.

Most researchers have believed for a while now that psoriasis throws off the immune system, causing an excess of skin cell production, which results in the itchy, red, scaly, irritated skin symptoms that have made this disease notorious.  This is why drug companies have been focusing on drugs that either alter or suppress the body’s immune system.  Altering the immune system is one of the most direct ways medical professionals know of to attack psoriasis.

Also of note: Stelara is supposed to be very expensive, upwards of $16,000 per year (if you had to pay for the whole thing out of pocket).  My optimistic guess for why it would cost this much (for 5 doses) is that a lot of money was poured into research and development, thus a high cost is needed to recoup.  Of course, drug companies are businesses first and foremost, so this is probably also a factor.  But if Stelara works and people are willing to pay, then I guess it is worth it.

My psoriasis is not nearly severe enough to justify using this drug (right now anyway).  My game plan as of now is to seek out natural, less expensive, lifestyle oriented solutions to root out the disease and keep it rooted out.

Posted in Psoriasis | 4 Responses »

New Psoriasis Drug from Johnson and Johnson: Stelara (Ustekinumab)

Monday, September 28th, 2009

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has approved Johnson and Johnson’s new psoriasis drug, Stelara, for use in the U.K.  The drug has also been approved for use in Canada but is still under review by the FDA.

It’s also expensive:  10,000 pounds, or about $16,000 USD per year.

Stelara works by targeting two specific proteins that play a major role in the body’s immune system: Interleukin 12 and Interleukin 23.  Regulating these proteins should reduce swelling and bring excessive skin cell production under control.

Administering this new drug should prove to be much more convenient than most other psoriasis treatments — it only needs to be taken 5 times a year via injection.  Thus far it has also proven to be safe.

In light of the unpredictable nature of psoriasis it is good to have as many treatment options, or as many avenues of attack, as possible.  In addition to developing resistance to certain treatments over time, psoriasis can also behave differently depending on the individual in question.  A treatment that works well for one individual might not work for another person and visa versa.

At this stage in the game Stelara is meant to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (this is the most common type of psoriasis).  It is viewed as an option that should be tried only after other alternatives have proved to be ineffective.  This will most likely include a large percentage of the masses who currently suffer from psoriasis since so many are at their wits’ end trying to find an effective treatment for it.

Posted in Psoriasis | 24 Responses »