New Psoriasis Treatment Certainly Provides Reason to be More Optimistic
In the not so distant past, persons suffering from psoriasis had limited options when it came to finding suitable treatments for the disorder. Times have changed, and now three newly available drugs have become the new psoriasis treatment solutions that patients may be able to use to effectively combat this agonizing skin disease.
Enbrel, Amevive, and Raptiva
The three new psoriasis treatment drugs include Enbrel, Raptiva and Amevive. These three are “biological drugs” and are the product of recent scientific breakthroughs that target specific body functions. These new psoriasis treatment drugs work on psoriasis, which is an autoimmune disease by blocking harmful immune responses.
Amevive as well as Raptiva are the approved new psoriasis treatment drugs, while Enbrel was approved to treat rheumatoid arthritis and its manufacturers, Wyeth, has since filed for formal approval for it to treat psoriasis. At present, however, there are insufficient data that can support the claims of the efficacy of the drugs Enbrel and Raptiva though some positives have been noticed after their use.
These new psoriasis treatment drugs do require taking for long periods, even for a lifetime, and due to the fact that they interfere with the immune system, could be dangerous since they could raise the patient’s risk of infections and possibly cancer. There is also no clear indication regarding how these drugs would perform over a lengthier period of time.
Raptiva is a new psoriasis treatment drug that is a man-made antibody that works against the T cells, which are the quarterbacks of the immune system, and though T cells are not killed off, they are blocked and prevented from moving from the blood to the skin. After testing, Raptiva therapy showed that it could provide continued benefit and provide better responses in many who have tried it.
Amevive is another new psoriasis treatment drug that gets right to the core of psoriasis and gives patients lasting relief. By getting weekly injections of Amevive, one can significantly reduce the pain, inflammation, swelling as well as other psoriasis symptoms and not be at risk of serious side effects as well.
This new psoriasis treatment is different from topical creams or even light therapy, and uses advanced biotechnology to target certain elements of the immune system responsible for plaque buildup as well as inflammation that are common to psoriasis. And, high doses of Amevive were found to provide patients with the best results, which were also supposed to be long lasting.
These new psoriasis treatment drugs are good news for patients suffering from psoriasis though they should not be mistaken for a cure. They can, nevertheless, provide significant improvement to the condition of the patient and are an indicator of better things to come.
More Information About Psoriasis: