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First new treatment for condition in more than a decade
TORONTO - Just as biologies have been revolutionizing the treatment of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, a newly-approved immunomodulator is expected to advance the treatment of psoriasis, a condition that affects up to 3% of the population.
The immunomodulator, alefacept (Amevive), is the first new medication for psoriasis in more than a decade and has been approved in Canada for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe chronic plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.
Clinical trials on more than 1,500 patients, of whom some have received seven 12-week courses over the past five years, have shown the drug to be as safe as placebo and to be effective in 70% of patients, said investigator Dr. Charles Lynde.
Remission for months at a time
The drug, which has been on the market for more than a year in the U.S., is a breakthrough because it allows patients to go into remission for months at a time, said Dr. Lynde, a dermatologist at the Toronto Western Hospital, a unit of the University Health Network.
"This is a very exciting drug...