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Psoriasis Psoriasis Treatment New Treatment for Psoriasis: Are We Finally on the Right Track? Medically Reviewed On: February 14, 2003 Erica Heilman There is new hope for over 6 million people in the United States living with psoriasis, a condition that causes an overproduction of skin cells. Once thought of as just a skin condition, doctors now know that psoriasis is a disorder of the immune system. Most people suffer with only mild forms of the disease, and manage symptoms with topical skin medications. But for 1/3 of those living with moderate to severe psoriasis, between 2 and 10% of the body is covered in flaky, itchy patches of skin. Psoriasis is often painful and emotionally taxing, and those with the condition often endure time consuming and inconvenient treatments, which, though effective, can have a widespread impact on the body. But a new treatment option is now offering patients a badly needed alternative. In January 2003, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug alefacept (brand name Amevive) for the treatment of moderate to severe forms of psoriasis. Alefacept is part of a class of drugs called "biologics," medicines that harness the immune system to change the course of the disease. Below, psoriasis expert and dermatologist Dr. Kenneth Gordon explains how biologics work, and how they stand to improve the lives of people living with serious psoriasis. What are some of the traditional medications for moderate to severe psoriasis? People with moderate to severe psoriasis often require drugs to suppress the immune system, such as cyclosporin and methotrexate. These medications can treat your psoriasis, but they're very nonspecific; they can affect many different organs in the body. Some can cause kidney damage, affect the liver-in some cases, even cause fibrosis and cirrhosis of the liver. They can be used safely in the context of a well-trained dermatologist's office, but there are clear risks to them. What are biologic medications? Biologic medications are proteins that are developed in a laboratory using genetic engineering. They can be directed specifically against molecules in the immune system that affect the cells that cause psoriasis. The medications target specific markers on the immune system, disrupts the processes in the immune system that cause psoriasis, but do not affect other organs in the body. There are different biologics, and they each have different effects. Alefacept, the molecule that's recently been approved by the FDA for moderate to severe psoriasis, works by attacking the specific T-cells that are important for the psoriasis itself. It eliminates or decreases the number of cells that cause the disease. Page 1 of 3 Next Page >> RELATED PROGRAMS Video - Getting To Psoriasis Through The Immune System Transcript

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