New Psoriasis Treatment Safe and Effective

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Psoriasis patients may soon get some much needed relief.

A new study shows an experimental treatment -- known as ISA247 -- is safe and effective for moderate to severe psoriasis.

One of the most effective treatments for psoriasis today is ciclosporin (Neoral). But the drug has toxic effects on the kidneys which limit its long-term use. Other newer treatments such as infliximab (Remicade) are safe and effective, but because they are expensive, inconvenient to take, and there’s little data on long-term safety and effectiveness, they are not for everyone.

Researchers in Canada looked at the effectiveness of ISA247 -- an experimental drug for treating autoimmune diseases like psoriasis and for preventing organ transplant rejection -- in 451 patients aged 18 to 65 with plaque psoriasis on at least 10 percent of their body. The patients were divided into four groups -- all got their treatment orally twice a day. The first group got ISA247 at 0.2 milligrams/kilogram body weight; the second at 0.3 milligrams/kilogram; the third at 0.4 milligrams/kilogram, and the fourth group got a placebo. Patients were followed up for a total of 24 weeks.

Results show the higher the dose of ISA247, the better it worked. The researchers conclude the link between the concentration of the drug and its effectiveness may make it easier to give patients the right dose compared to other psoriasis drugs.

SOURCE: The Lancet, 2008;371:1337-1342