psoriasis

According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, psoriasis is the most commonly diagnosed autoimmune disease, affecting 7.5 million Americans and 125 million people worldwide. The skin disease is associated with other potentially serious conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and psoriatic arthritis.

We talked with 2 leading dermatologists to learn more about the disease.

Psoriasis does not discriminate; it has dispensed its misery to those in all walks of life and ethnicities for centuries. Unfortunately, this is one of the rare cases where tolerance will not be tolerated! We are working to rid the world of this “equal opportunity disorder,” but, regrettably, there is not yet a cure for psoriasis. Until that day comes, you can control your psoriasis and dramatically improve your quality of life.

Genentech, Inc. has voluntarily withdrawn the psoriasis drug Raptiva® (efalizumab) from the US market. Raptiva is associated with an increased risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). PML is a rare and usually fatal disease of the central nervous system. There are no known interventions that can adequately treat PML.

The chief medical officer of Genentech, Hal Barron, MD, believes that Raptiva has helped many psoriasis sufferers, but the risk of PML outweighs the drug’s benefits. Approximately 46,000 patients worldwide have taken Raptiva for chronic plaque psoriasis. There have been 3 cases of diagnosed PML in patients receiving Raptiva. It is not known whether other unreported cases have occurred.