Psoriasis

Psoriatic arthritis can often go undiagnosed in patients with psoriasis, and an earlier diagnosis is critical to prevent the adverse effects of psoriatic arthritis, according to an expert.

The approval of abatacept (Orencia/Bristol-Myers Squibb) for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) earlier this month by the FDA offers a new treatment option for patients who are struggling to keep the disease under control.

A novel cell-based strategy tested in mice can detect the onset of psoriasis flares by measuring disease biomarkers and then release therapeutic proteins to stop progression. Future implications are exciting.

As research advances understanding of psoriasis, drug development evolves to address various pathways to disease. A number of possibilities, now in clinical trials, appear safe, effective and promising with improved long-term clearance rates.

Newer medications have revolutionized psoriasis care in patients with moderate-to-severe cases, says a leading dermatologist, and more drugs in the pipeline promise to offer even more choices.

Researchers have uncovered new information about the pathogenetic similarities and differences between cutaneous psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in a recent study. They hope the information, one day, leads to a test to help doctors determine which psoriasis patients will advance with psoriatic disease.

Indigo naturalis is an Old-World plant with multiple uses. Used in China for centuries as a traditional medicine, current clinical studies are proving its effectiveness as well as identifying mechanisms of action.

Dermatologists could be making greater use of topical retinoids and vitamin D preparations in treating a variety of hyperproliferative and other skin disorders. In the early days of psoriasis treatment, the “sandwich theory” focused on epidermal turnover and inflammation, with one drug or strategy for each layer.

Although many systemic immunomodulators are approved for psoriasis, their mechanisms of action suggest they have utility in indications ranging from atopic dermatitis (AD) to chronic urticaria. Understanding a systemic immunomodulator’s mechanism of action provides a theoretical basis for uses beyond its labeled indication.

Researchers analyzed emerging oral drugs for psoriasis and concluded “… the development of new oral treatments for moderate-to-severe psoriasis has not kept pace with biologic therapies.

Secukinumab has received FDA approval as a new treatment option in psoriasis. A panel of experts tackles this drug’s uses, benefits, and drawbacks.

New Study suggests dermatologists completing a PI CME on psoriasis significantly improved in important patient care aspects. Learn more.

Can targeting differentially regulated proteins reverse or prevent disease?

A phase 3 clinical program is under way to further evaluate the efficacy and safety of Cimzia (certolizumab pegol, UCB) in adult patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis.

The FDA announced Wednesday, January 21, that it approved secukinumab (Cosentyx, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation) as a treatment for adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

Kevin D. Cooper, M.D., professor and chair of dermatology at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio, and Steven R. Feldman, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C., weigh in on important gaps in dermatology research today.

A report published in January 2014 identified several gaps in psoriasis research and recommended research targets to address these gaps.

Getting patients to use their prescriptions is another story-one that's shockingly understudied in dermatology. Just what works to improve medication adherence has stumped researchers outside dermatology. Several studies are cited.

Data from a recently published study reveal systemic steroids are often the choice of therapy for clinicians based in the US who treat psoriasis, yet this practice is not endorsed in clinical practice guidelines.

Key trends among topical treatments for psoriasis include the potential reformulation of systemic therapies into topical form, the search for steroid alternatives and the optimization of vehicles, an expert says.

A patient with psoriasis asks dermatologists to put themselves in their patients' shoes and look at the condition from that perspective.

Richard D. Granstein, M.D., chairman of dermatology, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, has conducted research on how the nervous system and, perhaps, stress can make psoriasis worse or control the phenotypic expression of psoriasis.

The psychiatric comorbidities associated with psoriasis deserve more attention from physicians around the globe, experts say.

Many doctors, including dermatologists, would rather not address patients’ feelings about psoriasis. It’s part of how dermatologists protect themselves from bearing the burdens of patients’ woes, according to Richard Fried, M.D., Ph.D., a dermatologist and clinical psychologist in Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Psoriasis in nonwhite patient populations is not well described, according to Andrew F. Alexis, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Skin of Color Center, at St. Luke’s Roosevelt Hospital, Mount Sinai Health System, New York.