Two new breakthrough treatments for moderate to severe psoriasis have been approved in the last two years. It is exciting to have new and innovative ways of treating this disease. Psoriasis can have a dramatic impact on a patient’s quality of life, but it also has significant impact on your health. Patients with more severe forms of psoriasis have been shown to have increased risks of heart attacks, stroke, liver and kidney disease. With the introduction of these two new medications, we have more new biologic treatments that are remarkably effective. Patients can have 90-100% clearance of the disease, and this response can be maintained for years.
Cosentyx and Taltz work by blocking a protein that is essential for the development of most forms of psoriasis. Dr. Weisman explains that these proteins are like the ingredients for making a cake. You need eggs, butter, sugar and milk for a cake. If you want to make a chocolate cake, you also need chocolate. Biologic agents act by taking away one of the ingredients and leaving the rest alone. This allows for the rest of the immune system to continue to function normally. In the case of these new drugs, blocking interleukin 17 is the same as taking chocolate away from the baker who wants to make a chocolate cake – you can’t do it! While we all love chocolate cake, taking away an ingredient your body needs to make psoriasis and thereby stopping the disease is a remarkably effective and safe way to treat psoriasis. No one loves psoriasis!
As a leading clinical investigator, Dr. Weisman conducted several clinical trials with both Cosentyx and Taltz. Even before the drug was approved, she was able to see their effect on patients. Clinical trials provide the best understanding of the effectiveness and the safety of a new medication, and no one understands a drug as well as someone who has studied it before FDA approval. If you have any questions regarding these new treatments for psoriasis, please contact our office. We are happy to discuss these and all treatments for psoriasis and figure out what is the best approach for each individual patient.
