Psoriasis affects almost 20 million people world wide however it is believed that 45% or 8 million of these people are undiagnosed. Furthermore, public awareness of this chronic skin condition remains remarkably low.
New biologic treatments and their marketing campaigns are helping to bring the condition into the public eye. However, it is simply not enough to reach the millions of people who would benefit from knowing about this condition.
A non-profit patient advocacy group in the US known as Psoriasis Cure Now! has decided to increase public awareness, starting with the members of Congress.
“The psoriasis community is trying to break into Congress for the first time in recent memory, using Web tools to have psoriasis patients write their lawmakers. We are forcing every congressional office, for the first time in years, to figure out what psoriasis is and how to respond to constituents writing in about it,” said Michael Paranzino a spokesperson for Psoriasis Cure Now!
Psoriasis Cure now! Is a very active group within the United States. Several weeks ago the group urged a joint hearing of two Food and Drug Administration Advisory Committees to approve the use of some prescription only steroidal treatments to be made accessible as over the counter treatments.
Topical steroids in the form of creams and ointments are a popular form of treatment for many sufferers of psoriasis. Having the treatment available over the counter would make the drug more convenient and less expensive than it currently is.
“ While we believe additional steroids should be available OTC, we urge the FDA to weight carefully how best to educate parents who face difficult choices about how, and how aggressively, to treat psoriasis in their children,” Paranzino added. “Topical steroids play a role in treating many children with psoriasis, but there are non-steroid alternatives that should also be considered.”
The group are also active in pushing for funding to help in the ever increasing costs of research. They have recently pushed for the National Institutes of Health to increase psoriasis research funding which has remained stagnant for a full decade.
Active groups fighting for the better of any condition are everywhere. They are often what is required to keep the condition in the public eye and to keep research and treatments progressing forward rather than stagnating. These groups are doing what we as individuals are unable to do.
Psoriasis Cure Now! Is striving to increase public awareness of psoriasis and to have the best treatments available for its sufferers. Good Luck to them!