(Thu-08-09-2011, 21:55 PM)Fred Wrote: Welcome to the Psoriasis Club Forum. We started in 2010 with a free hosted forum and now we are pleased to launch our own hosted forum.

The idea of the forum is to give people who have or know someone with psoriasis a place to share information. We pride ourselves on running a friendly forum and we act quickly on spam/bullying/etc to protect our members.

Please come and join us and be part of a friendly community with others who understand what it's like to live with psoriasis. Maybe you can help a fellow sufferer? Or just want some answers from people who have lived with psoriasis. We are all in it together and sharing can help us all.

Hello everybody. I'm 65 and I live on the West Coast of Scotland. I work with fine porcelain clay sculpture. It's just about a year since I was diagnosed with palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP). The skin on the soles of my feet broke out first, followed by my hands, after a prolonged period of severe stress resulting from personal and family problems. I'm just starting counselling to help me to find a way forwards. I have a very supportive husband, and our Labrador dog called Sam does a pretty good job too. My GP has been very good through all this, as well as have all the folks at Crosshouse Hospital.

So far I have been treated with a multitude of creams and potions and bandages. I have not long finished 20 PUVA sessions. My hands are a lot better, but my feet are an ongoing problem. That about sums it up, but I'm bound to have forgotten something!

Hello. I'm new to this Forum. I've had palmoplantar pustulosis PPP for just about a year now. I often find myself shivering for no reason and my hands going cold, even though our home is plenty warm enough. Nobody has come up with the reason for this and I'd really like to know why it happens - and, of course, can I do anything about it !!!

Do you want a free treatment for psoriasis that works?

Well there is one, and now is the time to start claiming yours! There is no patent on it and no one can stop you using it. You will need to use this free treatment on average 3 times a week and it will take you around 15 minutes for each dose. You won’t feel greasy or smelly after each treatment, and it’s not difficult to use. I make no guarantee that it will totally clear your skin but it is one of the best things you can use, and it is a proven treatment that will help with psoriasis.

Some companies have tried to manufacture a similar product, and have succeeded to an extent. But no one has managed to produce this product to the same standard as the free version. With the manufactured versions of this product you can overdose and cause problems, but with the free version it’s not possible to overdose. And one of the best things about this treatment, no one can sell it to you; it’s yours for the taking.

So click the spoiler below to get your free psoriasis treatment.

Spoiler

Vitamin D
Is a natural free treatment that comes from the Sun. With diet, supplements, or tanning beds you can get too much Vit D but with the sunshine your body will only take what it needs.

Yes you should be careful with sunburn but an average dose of 15 minutes three times a week is sufficient to give your body all the Vit D it needs. Darker-skinned people may need 5-10 times more exposure than a fair-skinned person to make the same amount of vitamin D and the further you live from the equator, the longer exposure you need to the sun in order to generate vitamin D.

So get out in the Sun for 15 minutes exposing as much skin as you can three times a week and claim your Free Psoriasis Treatment.
Tips:

• If you’re not sure about exposing your skin, use long sleeved shirts with the arms rolled up, you can always pull them down quick. Same applies to trouser legs.
  
  
• If you have long hair tie it back with a scrunchie, when someone comes nearby let your hair down. For short hair wear a sun hat to cover your scalp and take it off when no one’s around.
  
  
• Don’t try to get you dose of Vit D through glass, it will not work. You need to be in the open.
  
  
• As it only takes 15 minutes three times a week try finding a local park where you can walk away from everyone else.
  
  
• Don’t use supplements or tanning beds, get outside in the sunshine. Spend one of your 168 hours in a week getting some sun and enjoy, its free, its natural, and it works.  
  

Another thread about Vit D: Vitamin D the natural way.

Cellceutix Corporation a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing small molecule drugs to treat unmet medical conditions, is pleased to report that it has filed a pre-IND submission with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Prurisol™ (also termed "KM-133"), the Company's drug in development as a novel treatment for psoriasis. The Company's submission provides information to the FDA on Prurisol supporting a pre-IND meeting.

Cellceutix is requesting the meeting for guidance to attain approval for a section 505(b)(2) designation for Prurisol from the FDA, allowing its proposed clinical trials to begin in advanced stages. The ultimate goal of the meeting is to gain a full understanding of the studies required to support a New Drug Application (NDA) filing for Prurisol. According to 505(b)(2) guidelines, reliance is placed upon the FDA's findings for a previously approved drug; allowing for a NDA approval to be received for a novel drug with a sponsor forgoing a portion of clinical trials and without a "right of reference" from the original drug maker.

"Prurisol is an ester of a FDA-approved drug that is used for different indications today," commented Dr. Krishna Menon, Chief Scientific Officer at Cellceutix. "Because the safety and tolerability of the active ingredient have already been determined by the FDA, we are hopeful that it will meet the requirements to advance immediately to Phase 2/3 clinical trials, saving considerable time and money. As part of our planned meeting with the FDA, we will also discuss Prurisol's eligibility for 'Fast Track' review, a designation that will further expedite our efforts to bring Prurisol to market."

Cellceutix has previously disclosed images of mice treated with Prurisol demonstrating its effectiveness as compared to methotrexate.

Boosting levels of the simple compound fumarate in mice significantly reduces damage from a heart attack, an Oxford University-led study has shown.

Fumarate, which comes in the form of simple pills to swallow, is already known to be safe and well-tolerated in humans from trials of the drug in multiple sclerosis and psoriasis.

The researchers say that clinical trials in humans could now go ahead to see if fumarate can reduce injury to the heart in a range of conditions. They are beginning to plan for a trial in patients undergoing heart surgery.

The Oxford University researchers, along with colleagues from the UK, Denmark and the USA, published their findings in the journal Cell Metabolism.

They showed that fumarate greatly reduces the amount of heart tissue damage occurring in a mouse model of a heart attack. In mice given fumarate, the amount of dead heart tissue after the heart attack was 9.3% of the whole heart volume. In untreated mice, it was 36.9%.

Dr Houman Ashrafian of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Oxford University, who led the study, said: 'We have shown that heart attack size in mice can be reduced substantially by boosting their fumarate levels.'

Coronary heart disease is still the biggest killer in the UK. It occurs when blocked arteries reduce the blood flow to the heart. The lack of oxygen reaching the heart muscle results in tissue damage.

A heart attack is caused by a sudden block in the blood flow and rapid treatment is needed to remove the blood clot and re-open the artery. Despite modern treatments contributing to a reduction in death rates, there are still many patients that sustain significant heart damage.

There is a need for additional treatments that can help protect the heart – not just in heart attacks but also in patients with a range of conditions whose hearts may be exposed to other causes of injury.

Fumarate is a simple chemical compound or metabolite that forms part of the normal metabolic pathway the body uses to break down food and release energy – the process known as the citric acid or Krebs cycle. But metabolites can also have roles in biological pathways that control the responses of cells to stress, such as low oxygen.

For example, increased levels of fumarate have been implicated in allowing some cancer cells to thrive in the low oxygen levels that surround them.

Some seals that can dive to great depths under the Antarctic where there is little oxygen appear to activate similar biological pathways that employ fumarate.

These lines of evidence led the Oxford University researchers to become interested in whether there was any role of fumarate in heart cells’ response to stress, and whether fumarate could be protective against low oxygen levels.

As well as showing the reduction in heart attack size in mice, the researchers also identified the biological pathways triggered by increased levels of fumarate which appeared to result in the extra protection for the heart.

'The advantages of fumarate are that it would present a relatively safe, cheap drug that wouldn’t need to be given for very long,' says Dr Ashrafian. 'It could be used upfront to protect the heart ahead of surgery or other predictable insults. Potentially it may also be beneficial in heart attacks in addition to standard treatments.

'But let’s be clear: it’s great to show we can reduce heart attack damage in mice. It’s another thing altogether to show that fumarate is protective in humans. But it is now ready to test in clinical trials.'

Dr Ashrafian has applied for patents on the use of fumarate in heart surgery and coronary heart disease through Isis Innovation, the University of Oxford-owned technology transfer company.

Professor Jeremy Pearson, Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), which was the major funder of the study, said: 'This very promising study shows that fumarate, already safely trialled in patients for other conditions, including multiple sclerosis, might be repurposed for the benefit of heart patients. It provides strong foundations to build on in the future, and we look forward to seeing the results of the first clinical trials.'

Source: ox.ac.uk

new to this just soo fed up with my complaint, thought i might get some ideas on her. anna

Hello everyone!
I'm pleased to join the forum. I have had guttate psoriasis for 31 years (legs, elbows and wierdly ears, also get odd patches on arms and new one on back). Last summer I cleared up quite nicely just doing the garden - it was pretty miraculous but all back now the winter gloom has set in. I always try to manage my condition with out perscription drugs although I have had them in the past. My old doctor said he wished he could perscribe a 2 week holiday in the sun - that would be nice
I'm looking forward to reading through some old posts and joining in when I can x

Manchester is today celebrating success after securing £12.5million of Government funding for clinical research.

Three leading hospital trusts, working closely with the University of Manchester, have been awarded the money to carry out research into many of the major diseases and illnesses that affect the population of Greater Manchester and the wider North West.

The three Clinical Research Facilities that will receive funding are:

#1 Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust who will use the £5.5 million funding to support studies for people with diseases such as arthritis, psoriasis, depression, addiction, and diabetes.
   
#2 The Christie NHS Foundation Trust who will use the £4.5million funding to support early-stage trials of treatments for people with cancer.
   
#3 University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust who will use the £2.5million funding to support early-stage trials of treatments for people with lung diseases such as asthma, fungal infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and also food allergies.

Researchers believe the success of these bids reflects the scale of expertise in conducting clinical trials in NHS organisations in Manchester and the University of Manchester which collectively form MAHSC (Manchester Academic Health Science Centre).

Professor Ian Jacobs is Director of MAHSC and Vice President of the University of Manchester. He believes this is a Red Letter Day for Manchester and further enhances the reputation of the city as a leading international centre for healthcare and health science.

He explains: “An extraordinary level of collaborative joint working has been achieved which makes it possible to conduct trials of the highest quality, on a large scale in a broad range of health areas including cancer, respiratory, neurological, cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and inflammatory disorders. This funding will lead to new healthcare innovations which will be rapidly applied for the benefit of our population through the MAHSC partnership.”

NHS Trusts and Foundation Trusts with clinical research facilities submitted bids for the funding, which were judged by a panel of UK experts in both medical research and in running clinical research facilities. Winning bids were selected on the basis of the quality and volume of world-class medical research they support as well as other criteria including the strength of their partnerships with universities and industry

Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley says: “Both public and patients think it’s important that the NHS should support research into new treatments, and we agree. That’s why we’re investing over £100m in research facilities, nurses and technicians to help make the NHS a world-class place to do research.

Source: mahsc.ac.uk

Researchers have found that ustekinumab (Stelara, Janssen Biotech, Inc.), a novel interleukin 12 (IL-12) and IL-23 antagonist, has a favorable benefit–risk profile for up to 3 years of treatment for moderate to severe psoriasis.

Because many patients with psoriasis require decades of treatment, researchers are particularly concerned with finding therapies that will retain their efficacy without causing serious adverse effects. "Chronic use of conventional systemic therapies has been associated with a hazard of cumulative end-organ toxicities (e.g., hepatotoxicity with methotrexate and nephrotoxicity with cyclosporine)," the authors write.

Ustekinumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that works by binding to the shared p40 subunit of IL-12 and IL-23. The current report is a long-term extension of the Psoriasis Followed by Long-Term Extension (PHOENIX) 1 study, a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that initially evaluated ustekinumab through 76 weeks of treatment. The report focuses on efficacy through 3 years because 4 other trials have reported detailed information on the drug's safety during that period.

The researchers performed analyses of clinical efficacy in the following groups:

# the overall study population,
# early responders who maintained dosing every 12 weeks through 3 years,
# responders who were withdrawn from therapy and who were subsequently retreated, and
# partial responders who had the dosing interval changed from every 12 weeks to every 8 weeks.

The First 76 Weeks

The PHOENIX 1 study included 766 patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis who were randomly assigned to receive placebo or ustekinumab 45 mg or 90 mg at week 0, week 4, and every 12 weeks after that (period 1: week 0 - week 12). At week 12, patients in the placebo group crossed over to receive ustekinumab 45 mg or 90 mg at week 12, week 16, and every 12 weeks after that (period 2: week 12 - week 40). Starting at week 28, treatment was based on treatment response:

Responders were participants whose scores on the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) improved by at least 75% (PASI75) at both week 28 and week 40.
Partial responders were patients whose PASI scores improved by from 50% to 74% (PASI50-74) at week 28, or by less than 75% (< PASI75) at week 40.
Nonresponders were patients with less than 50% PASI (< PASI50) improvement at week 28.

At week 40, responders who were randomly assigned to receive ustekinumab at baseline were rerandomized either to keep receiving ustekinumab every 12 weeks or to withdraw from treatment (period 3: week 40 - week 76), with follow-up through 3 years (period 4: week 76 - year 3).

Responders who were randomly assigned to receive placebo at baseline were withdrawn from treatment at week 40, with follow-up through 3 years.

At the time of psoriasis recurrence (loss of ≥50% of PASI improvement achieved at week 40), patients who had been withdrawn from therapy were retreated with 2 doses of ustekinumab 4 weeks apart, followed by administration every 12 weeks thereafter.

The dosing interval was shortened to every 8 weeks in partial responders, and treatment was withdrawn in nonresponders.

Weeks 77 Through Year 3

Of the 766 patients enrolled in the study, 753 received at least 1 dose of ustekinumab, and 601 (79.8%) of those continued in the study through year 3.

At week 76, PASI75 response was achieved by 61.2% (45 mg) and 72.4% (90 mg), and these results remained consistent through year 3.

In the overall population, PASI90 responses remained stable through year 3 with stable maintenance dosing and no evidence of decreasing response (45 mg: 33.9% at week 76 and 36.1% at year 3; 90 mg: 44.9% and 45.5%, respectively). Similarly, the median PASI improvement was relatively stable (45 mg: 82.4% at week 76 and 83.6% at year 3; 90 mg: 87.2% and 88.4%, respectively), and PGA response of 0 or 1 remained consistent as well (cleared or minimal; 45 mg: 43.6% and 42.6%; 90 mg: 54.9% and 52.5%).

Among initial responders who received treatment every 12 weeks, more than 80% maintained PASI75 response through week 76 (45 mg: 81.8%; 90mg: 86.6%). This response rate was sustained through year 3 (45 mg: 80.9%; 90 mg: 82.7%). Most (93.3%) of these patients had PASI50 improvement or greater through year 3. Significant proportions of patients experienced PASI90 (45 mg: 42.6%; 90 mg: 58.0%) and PASI100 (45 mg: 22.1%; 90 mg: 38.3%) responses through year 3.

Approximately 50% of the patients withdrawn from treatment lost PASI75 response within approximately 16 weeks of their last treatment.

Scores on the Dermatology Life Quality Index paralleled clinical improvements for the most part.

Initial partial responders had their dosing interval shortened from every 12 weeks to every 8 weeks, and about half of those achieved and maintained (45 mg: 50.9%) or improved (90 mg: 52.0%) PASI 75 response through year 3.

"Ustekinumab was generally well-tolerated through up to 3 years of follow-up, as most [adverse events] were mild, non-serious, and did not require treatment discontinuation," the authors write.

"The safety profile of ustekinumab through up to 3 years of treatment appears generally favorable, is consistent with previous observations through week 76 and compares favorably with other biologics," they add.

"Importantly, no evidence of cumulative organ toxicities that may limit the long-term utility of conventional systemic agents was observed."

"These results continue to support the favorable benefit-risk profile of ustekinumab in the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis with continuous, stable maintenance dosing through 3 years of therapy. High level efficacy and a consistent safety profile were sustained over time," write the authors.

Jeffrey Weinberg, MD, director of clinical research in the Department of Dermatology at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, commented on the study in a telephone interview with Medscape Medical News. He explained that the biggest question dermatologists have is whether a drug is safe to use long-term, and that although this is a small cohort of people, it is "a good thing to see is that there are no new side effects, and no increase in side effects that are noted as time goes on."

"This is what we need with a new drug. We need to observe a new drug as it continues to be used in individuals and as it's used in practice, and be very observant for long-term safety," Dr. Weinberg said.

"What they have provided so far is very encouraging. It just needs longer-term follow-up and analysis of how the drug does as it's used in more and more people," concluded Dr. Weinberg.

Source: medscape.com

Proximagen Group plc (AIM: PRX), the rapidly growing company with a focus on the treatment of disorders of the central nervous system (CNS) and inflammatory diseases, announces that it had commenced dosing in a Phase I clinical trial of PRX167700, a Vascular Adhesion Protein-1 (VAP-1) antagonist, for the treatment of inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriasis.

Proximagen’s PRX167700 is an oral drug candidate that is expected to work by regulating the movement of immune cells from the blood into sites of inflammation, thereby modulating the underlying inflammatory process and relieving the symptoms of inflammation. This mode of action provides the potential for a disease modifying effect, whereby modulating the movement of the damaging immune cells to the sites of inflammation also stops further damage caused by the disease.

In addition to efficacy shown in models of RA, PRX167700 has demonstrated efficacy in models of multiple sclerosis and inflammatory pain. Regulating the movement of immune cells is also important in these two diseases, indicating that PRX167700 has potential utility in multiple disease areas of high unmet medical need.

This Phase I trial is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to assess the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of single and multiple ascending oral doses of PRX167700 in healthy male subjects, and the effect of food on the pharmacokinetics of a single oral dose of the drug. The study will also investigate the relationship between the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of single and multiple ascending oral doses of PRX167700. The first results are anticipated in 2012.

Source: proximagen.com

Creabilis SA, a European biotechnology company specialising in the development of treatments for dermatology, inflammation and pain, today announced the start of the Phase IIb global clinical trial of its lead product CT327 in patients with psoriasis vulgaris. Recruitment is progressing well.

CT327 is a novel topically applied TrkA kinase inhibitor developed using Creabilis' LSE (Low Systemic Exposure) technology. LSE technology creates new chemical entities which allow high local concentrations combined with low systemic exposure; these are ideal characteristics for medicines designed for topical applications.

The Phase IIb study is a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled dose finding study of the efficacy and safety of a new CT327 ointment formulation (0.05%, 0.1% and 0.5% w/w) administered for up to eight weeks in patients with psoriasis. A total of 160 patients are expected to complete the trial and results are anticipated towards the end of 2012.

Creabilis announced positive results from a Phase IIa study of CT327 in psoriasis in March 2011. CT327 (0.1% w/w cream formulation) produced a good efficacy response across multiple endpoints including PGA (Physician Global Assessment) and mPASI (modified Psoriasis Area and Severity Index). CT327 was also well tolerated with no reported application site irritation. Pharmacokinetic analysis showed no detectable plasma CT327, as anticipated with the LSE technology.

Dr David Roblin, Chief Medical Officer of Creabilis said: "Our Phase IIb trial of CT327 is another important step in the development of a product that we believe has exciting potential in the treatment of psoriasis and other important skin diseases. This study uses the new and proposed commercial ointment formulation and in three concentrations of CT327 to ensure that the best dose is selected for Phase III start. We look forward to building on the very promising Phase IIa results already generated." 

Source: prnewswire.com

I’m a big fan of Coconut Oil and yesterday I stocked up from an ethnic cooking store in the city. I buy it there because it costs less, and it is just good quality pure coconut oil and nothing else.
The one I buy comes in a big plastic jar or small bottles, when it’s cold it is a white solid a bit like candle wax, and once melted it is a clear liquid. It melts on body contact or you can always warm it up. DO NOT mistake it for coconut milk; you’re looking for Pure Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil is a fantastic natural moisturiser for any dry skin and is especially helpful for psoriasis leaving your skin feeling and looking great. It has been reported to help with wrinkles but there is no good evidence. It’s also one of the most nutritious products you can put on your hair, as it provides the essential proteins required for nourishing damaged hair. Coconut oil speeds up the healing process of bruises by repairing damaged tissues, and rubbing it on cuts will form a protective barrier against infections.

Whilst you can eat Coconut Oil there is no evidence that it helps with psoriasis by ingestion. You should consider its high saturated fat content but some say it helps with cholesterol, high blood pressure, digestion, immunity and infections, and weight loss. It’s used in many South Asian curries.  And was once described in a New York Times article as “having a "haunting, nutty, vanilla flavour" that also has a touch of sweetness”, that could explain its use for making popcorn.

Apparently Coconut Oil will repel Sand Fleas found in the tropical parts of Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America, and India. The Sand Flea can cause Tungiasis, which is identified by skin inflammation, severe pain, itching, and a lesion at the site of infection that is characterized by a black dot at the centre of a swollen red lesion, surrounded by what looks like a white halo.

So get yourself some Pure Coconut Oil from your ethnic cooking shop, use it daily on your skin especially after a shower or bath and give your skin a treat. You can use it on all parts of your body, but please note that Coconut Oil could possibly damage latex condoms.

EDIT: Since making this post I have tried various brands of coconut oil and found some to be good, some bad, some even contained additives, and some are just to expensive. But now my favourite brand is Biona virgin coconut oil I get it from Amazon.

Hi all,
I was searching for info and came across the fourms. After looking at alot of the posts I registerd. Awsome job Fred, It is cool to hear other talking about psoriasis and World wide too. Seemed like the only people you can talk to about it is family and not the people who you would really like to talk or hear about. looks like a good group on here and couldnt wait to join in. My name is Mike and im 53, married and in Chicago, IL. My first outbreak was 2000 and it came to me on my genitals and my scalp. (I was single at that time and dating.) I went to the docs to hear what it may have been. It wasnt what I thought... It was Psoriasis, the doc new knew to quick. I went to another doc and for the second opp. he told me the same, still couldnt beleave it, told him to take a sample.. came back pos. so now just had my last flareup in 2011 and it took over 80% of me in three dayz. doing much better now with just light treatment and Clobex lotion. I was offered stelara but turning it down and tryin to stay on topical lotions and light for now. Buying a boat this year, anyone for some sun and tan treatment on Lake Michigan this summer...

Replying on this thread
Methotrexate
the following:

Of course I totally do not agree about what is written in this thread (sorry Fred, it's her again).

Methotrexate, well regarding what I read of it, it is quite heavy stuff. I mean that for instance the rule is that you may not get pregnant, that is not nothing. It at least means that the attack that methotrexate does to your cells and replication mechanism is threatening for new life.

What I than not understand is the sentence: "however you should not worry you to much as it has been prescribed by your dermatologist or arthritis consultant....."
It is as if the opinion, although specialist, of theirs is enough to make it sensible to use the stuff.
What do these people know about you? They see you a few times per year, during 15-20 minutes. They see some blood-tests of yours, but those are just momentarily impressions of the state of your health. And on the basis of that they decide if you can use it or not??

In my opinion, the only real expert, is you yourself. Your contact with your own body lasts from the moment that you wake up till the moment you go to sleep. In fact you are the only one that has a 24/7 impression of how you feel.

I have used methotrexate myself. For about 4 months. In that time I have carefully listened to my body. What I felt is hard to describe in Dutch, let alone hard to describe in English. It was as if my body was ehm.. grinding in all its corners, it was devastating. I really got scared of these feelings.
And after 4 months I, not any "specialist" in arthritic psoriasis, no "I" decided to stop with this. This could not be good for me.

I am glad I stopped... I restarted my search for something better and now I am quite happy and healthy again, it's not perfect, but it is way better.

Caroline

If you are thinking of using Methotrexate (MTX) for Psoriasis or Psoriatic Arthritis, you may find this information of use. When you look at all the information about Methotrexate it can be very worrying especially concerning the side affects. however you shouldn't let it worry you to much as long as it has been prescribed by your dermatologist or arthritis consultant, and you are getting and will continue to receive regular check ups.

Methotrexate was originally developed and continues to be used for chemotherapy either alone or in combination with other agents. It is effective for the treatment of a number of cancers. It is also used as a treatment for some autoimmune diseases including: rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, lupus and Crohn's disease. It is commonly taken orally, but can also be given via injection. Although Methotrexate was originally designed as a chemotherapy drug (in high doses), in low doses Methotrexate is a generally safe and well tolerated drug in the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Dosage: It is recommended that a test dose of 5-10 mg should be administered, one week prior to therapy to detect idiosyncratic adverse reactions.

In most cases of severe uncontrolled psoriasis, unresponsive to conventional therapy, 10-25 mg orally once a week and adjusted by the patient's response is recommended. The prescriber should specify the day of intake on the prescription.

When shouldn't I use Methotrexate?

• It has not been prescribed by a specialist.
  
• If you're not getting regular blood and liver check ups.
  
• If you're trying for a baby (male & female), pregnant, or breast feeding.
  
• If you have an impaired renal function or impaired hepatic function.
  
• If you have marrow hypoplasia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia or anaemia.
  
• You should also try to limit you're alcohol intake or preferably give it up all together.
  
• If you have suicidal thoughts.
  
• This is not a complete list but they are the basics, if you are not sure you should consult a specialist!
  

My dermatologist just told me about HUMIRA today and said that's where I would start if I started biologics. What are some of the side effects that have been tested for? This is the first time I've considered something other than topicals, but I don't know much about it. Any knowledge would be appreciated.

He said it would weaken the immune system, any clarity would be great in the form of numbers or anything!

I just wanted to share (and have a positive 100th post)
Tomorrow (23rd) I am going to be reviewed by my dermatologist and hopefully my UVB treatment will come to an end.
I'm over the moon with the results, I have changed my psoriasis score from 22 to a 3.
I haven't even got that much 'staining' and my legs have never been so clear in the past 10 years :-) 

I am really hoping that with my change in diet and quitting smoking plus a bit of positive attitude that my remission will last longer than usual or that when it does come back it won't be as bad!!!

Hope everyone else finds some relief too

x 

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Johnson & Johnson's request to reinstate the largest patent- infringement verdict in American history, a $1.67 billion award it won against Abbott Laboratories over arthritis treatments.

The high court today declined to review a lower court ruling that a patent on a method to make antibodies was invalid because it inadequately described what J&J’s Janssen Biotech said it invented. J&J and patent co-owner New York University want to collect on the verdict they received over the drug Humira, which accounts for about 20 percent of Abbott’s annual revenue.

A U.S. appeals court said inventors must describe clearly their work to show they conceived the invention, and that failure to do so may lead to the patent being tossed out. J&J contends that requirement is too onerous when it comes to patents on basic research or discoveries that have broad applications.

“The directive has become unhinged from statutory text, is judicially unadministrable, and is erratic and unpredictable in outcome,” J&J said in its petition.

The dispute centers on a method to create antibodies that block the action of tumor necrosis factor, or TNF. When the body produces too much TNF, it can cause the immune system to attack healthy tissue and leads to inflammation.

J&J’s original research focused on mouse antibodies, and moved to chimeric antibodies that combine mouse and human. The company, whose own Remicade arthritis drug is based on chimeric technology, said its patent also covered a method of making fully human antibodies.

Dispute Over Claims

In ruling the patent invalid, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said the claims made in the invention, as written, “constitute a wish list of properties” that a human antibody should have.

Abbott said its researchers discovered ways to create human antibodies and J&J tried to “expand its patent rights to cover a class of antibodies that it did not invent or describe.”

A March 2010 Federal Circuit decision laying out the written description requirement got U.S. support, Abbott said, and J&J “seeks to disrupt the settled expectations of innovators like Abbott by upending decades of precedent.”

Novo Nordisk, the world’s largest insulin maker, and vaccine maker Bavarian Nordic urged the high court to take the case, saying they need broadly written patents to protect their research.

Drug Sales

Sales of Humira were $7.93 billion last year, including $3.43 billion in the U.S., Abbott reported Jan. 25. The drug accounts for about 20 percent of the Abbott Park, Illinois-based company’s revenue.

Abbott has filed its own lawsuit, claiming J&J’s arthritis drug Simponi, made with human antibodies, is infringing an Abbott patent. It also claims a J&J psoriasis medicine, Stelara, violates two other patents. Those cases are pending in federal court in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Arthritis involves the breakdown of the cartilage protecting joints and affects one in seven Americans, or 37 million people, according to the National Institutes of Health. Three of the largest drugs used to treat arthritis are Humira, Remicade and Thousand Oaks, California-based Amgen’s Enbrel.

Source: nj.com

Multiple studies have found that psoriasis has a greater impact on women than men, and a new finding that women with psoriasis are less likely to become pregnant adds to the list of disease-related concerns.

Dr. Jennifer C. Cather and her colleagues recently completed a claims database study that found psoriasis to be significantly associated with lower rates of pregnancy and live births in women aged 35 or younger.

The Abbott-funded study matched 30,733 pairs (1:1) of women with and without psoriasis, said Dr. Cather at the annual Hawaii Dermatology Seminar, sponsored by Skin Disease Education Foundation (SDEF). Overall, women with psoriasis were found to have lower rates of pregnancy (3.1% vs. 3.6%) and live births (1.4% vs. 2.1%), compared with the women without psoriasis.

In the 7,374 matched pairs of women aged 35 or younger, the psoriasis patients had a 22% lower likelihood of pregnancy and a 39% lower likelihood of having a live birth, compared with the patients without psoriasis.

Three other recent studies on pregnancy outcomes in psoriasis offer conflicting findings; however, Dr. Cather noted that the study populations were very different for each.

The first study found that pregnant women with psoriasis are at an increased risk of having preterm delivery and low birth weight infants.

Dr. Cather reported the findings of the U.S. study of 162 pregnancies in 122 women with psoriasis, compared with 501 pregnancies in 290 women without psoriasis. The women with psoriasis were found to have a 1.89 increased risk in odds of having a poor outcome composite, compared with the patients without psoriasis (J. Invest. Dermatol. 2012;132:85-91). Psoriasis was not found to be associated with having a caesarian delivery, preeclampsia/eclampsia, or spontaneous abortion.

However, the opposite was found in a European study of 68 deliveries in 35 women with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, compared with 237 deliveries in 236 women without psoriasis. Psoriasis patients “had a higher mean of past spontaneous and induced abortions than controls,” noted Dr. Cather, who is in private practice in Dallas. The psoriasis patients also had an increased rate of pregnancy-induced hypertension, premature rupture of the membranes, large-for-gestational age babies, and macrosomia (J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol. 2011;25:1041-7).

In the third study, 1,463 mothers with psoriasis were compared with 11,704 control patients. Pregnant Taiwanese women with psoriasis were found to have a 1.4 times increased risk of having low birth weight infants, compared with controls. Mild psoriasis did not increase the risk of low birth weight, preterm birth, small-for-gestational age infants, caesarian section, or preeclampsia/eclampsia (J. Am. Acad. Dermatol. 2011;64:71-7).

Dr. Cather noted that more studies are needed to assess the true impact of psoriasis on pregnancy.

Source: skinandallergynews.com