Clobex® Spray for Psoriasis Now with New Nozzle

Posted on April 19, 2010 | 2 Comments

Clobex® (clobetasol propionate 0.05%) is the brand name of a super-potent topical corticosteroid that is prescribed for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. It is manufactured by Galderma in several formulations, including a spray, lotion and shampoo.

Clobex spray is now available with a new targeted nozzle delivery system designed to help psoriasis patients apply the product more precisely to affected areas of the body and scalp. This is helpful to to reduce side effects that might be caused by the inadvertent application of the medication to unaffected areas of skin.

The efficacy of Clobex® Spray as a psoriasis treatment was established in two independent clinical trials with 240 patients. On average, 8 out of 10 patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis became clear or almost clear after four weeks of treatment, and the efficacy of Clobex® Spray to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis has been confirmed in various clinical studies since its approval.

Corticosteroids are a commonly prescribed topical medication for the treatment of psoriasis, along with anthralin, coal tar, vitamin D derivatives, and topical retinoids. The use of corticosteroids on the skin must, however, be limited due to the many side effects that result from long-term use. Careful use of corticosteroids is particularly important for potent or super potent formulations, such as clobetasol, the active ingredient of Clobex®.

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Posted in Psoriasis Treatments

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Severe Psoriasis Associated with a Higher Risk of Death from Heart Disease

Posted on April 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

Several clinical studies have been published in recent month pointing to the association of psoriasis with heart disease. They have presented data that psoriasis may be an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis, heart attack (myocardial infarction), and stroke. The risk appears to be greatest for severe psoriasis that has the greatest degree of inflammation that impacts the body.

However, it was not shown that this risk of developing heart disease resulted in any increase of death.

Now, a study published in the April 2010 issue of the European Heart Journal has found that people with severe psoriasis do, in fact, have an increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CV disease), such as a heart attack. And this risk is independent of traditional cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity and smoking. This means that the risk is there for someone with severe psoriasis even if he or she is otherwise without other risk factors.

The study compared the medical records of over 14,000 patients with severe psoriasis to others with similar risk factors without psoriasis.

An editorial in the same issue suggested that those with moderate or severe psoriasis be aware of the importance of regular exercise, a healthy diet and the importance of smoking cessation.

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Stelara for psoriasis treatment reviewed by Dermatologist Steve Feldman, M.D.

Posted on April 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

Steve Feldman MD DermatologistDermatologist Steven Feldman, M.D., PhD, of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina provided his expert opinion regarding the use of Stelara™ for psoriasis treatment.

Dr. Steve Feldman wrote, “Stelara™ appears to be an excellent new option for moderate-to-severe psoriasis, offering patients who have failed other treatments new hope, and offering the most convenient option yet for treating severe disease”

Dr. Feldman added, “The primary benefits are high efficacy and, so far, good safety (measured over about 2 years of use). In addition, the drug is injected at baseline, a month later, then only once every 3 months, so it doesn’t require many injections. Being the newest of our options, we don’t yet have as much safety data as we do for other drugs, so we don’t have quite the same confidence in what the long term safety will be.”

Stelara™ (ustekinumab), was approved by the FDA in September of 2009 for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis. It is the latest biologic medication to become available for the treatment of psoriasis. Results of a Stelara clinical trial published in Lancet showed that Stelara reduced the severity of plaque psoriasis by 75 percent in as many as 76 percent of patients treated.

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Psoriasis Severity Not Impacted by Age of Onset

Posted on April 12, 2010 | Leave a comment

The age at which people first experience psoriasis does not appear to have a significant impact on the course of the illness through a person’s life. This information was published in a April issue of the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Researchers surveyed nearly 2,000 people with plaque psoriasis and found that the severity of psoriasis symptoms did not differ significantly between those people whose psoriasis first developed in childhood and those who had adult-onset psoriasis.

Plaque psoriasis

Plaque psoriasis is the most common form of psoriasis. It is diagnosed in 80% of people with psoriasis.

The plaques appear as red, raised, inflamed lesions covered with a silvery white layer of flakey scales. They may vary in size from a half inch to six inches in diameter. Plaques may grow together, creating large affected areas.

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Posted in Psoriasis Research

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Psoriasis Patients Encourage to Make a Change

Posted on April 12, 2010 | 1 Comment

LeAnn RimesPsoriasis patient LeAnn Rimes is calling for people with psoriasis to pledge to better manage their disease as part of the awareness campaign “Stop Hiding from Psoriasis.” In partnership with the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) and the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), LeAnn is encouraging people to take a stand against psoriasis by taking the Make a Change Pledge online at StopHiding.org.

“The purpose of the Make a Change Pledge is to empower people living with psoriasis to make changes that can help them increase their understanding of the disease and its impact on their everyday lives, as well as encourage them to work with a dermatologist to optimally manage their disease,” says LeAnn.

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