Biotech Revolution Continues to Deliver for Psoriasis Patients
October 27 2003 - 8:04PM
PR Newswire (US)
Biotech Revolution Continues to Deliver for Psoriasis Patients FDA
Today Approved Raptiva for Moderate to Severe Psoriasis PORTLAND,
Ore., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Psoriasis Foundation
today applauded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA)
approval of the biologic drug efalizumab (brand name Raptiva) to
treat chronic, moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults. The
drug, manufactured by Genentech and XOMA, could be available to the
1.5 million Americans with moderate to severe psoriasis by year's
end. "This is not just a victory for psoriasis patients, it is a
victory for biomedical research," said Gail Zimmerman, president
and CEO of the Psoriasis Foundation. "In just 20 years, we have
gone from having little understanding of the roots of psoriasis to
seeing the FDA approve drugs, like Raptiva, that improve a
psoriasis patient's symptoms by targeting specific cells in the
immune system. The biologic drug revolution is generating valuable
new choices for those living with this incurable disease." Many
psoriasis patients report great frustration with their disease and
with existing treatment options. In a Psoriasis Foundation survey,
75 percent of people with moderate to severe psoriasis reported
that their psoriasis is a large problem in their life, while 78
percent of those surveyed indicated they don't use more aggressive
therapies to treat their disease, often because of concerns about
possible side effects. "My quality of life improved dramatically
after I entered a Raptiva clinical trial," said Mark Lemelin, a
Psoriasis Foundation member from Broomfield, Colo., who testified
before an FDA advisory committee in September in support of
Raptiva. "This is the most successful treatment I have tried in my
26 years as a psoriasis patient, and it gives me hope for the
future." Raptiva and other biologics build on advances in
biomedical and pharmaceutical research that have both broadened our
knowledge about the root causes of psoriasis while enabling drugs
to be engineered from proteins produced by living cells. Earlier
this year, Biogen's Amevive (alefacept) became the first biologic
drug approved for psoriasis, while Amgen's Enbrel (etanercept) is
approved to treat psoriatic arthritis and is now being reviewed by
the FDA for its effectiveness in treating psoriasis. Centocor's
Remicade (infliximab) is also in advanced clinical trials for
psoriasis, and several other biologics are in various stages of
development. "Efalizumab blocks the activity of T cells, the immune
cells that are key to the development of psoriasis," said Kenneth
B. Gordon, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Loyola
University Medical Center near Chicago and a member of the
Psoriasis Foundation's Medical Board. "While traditional psoriasis
therapies have interactions with other organ systems that limit
their long term use, we are hopeful that this drug's mechanism will
allow for sustained, beneficial use." About Psoriasis Psoriasis is
a lifelong skin disease that occurs when faulty signals in the
immune system cause skin cells to regenerate too quickly -- every
three to four days instead of the usual 30-day cycle. Extra skin
cells build up on the skin's surface, forming red, flaky, scaly
lesions that can itch, crack, bleed and be extremely painful.
Psoriasis generally appears on the joints, limbs and scalp but it
can appear anywhere on the body, covering some people from head to
toe. More than 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with
psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis, a degenerative disease of the
joints and connective tissues associated with psoriasis. Psoriasis
typically first strikes people between the ages of 15 and 35, but
can affect anyone at any age, including children. About the
National Psoriasis Foundation The National Psoriasis Foundation is
the leading nonprofit organization fighting to improve the quality
of life of the more than 5 million Americans diagnosed with
psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis and their families. Sustained
by annual contributions from more than 40,000 members as well as
corporate and foundation grants, its mission is to educate people
about these diseases and their treatments, raise public awareness,
and support ongoing research. The organization is headquartered in
Portland, Ore. For more information, please call the Psoriasis
Foundation at 800-723-9166 or visit http://www.psoriasis.org/ .
DATASOURCE: National Psoriasis Foundation CONTACT: Michael
Paranzino of National Psoriasis Foundation, +1-503-546-8393, or Web
site: http://www.psoriasis.org/
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