Biotech Revolution Continues to Deliver for Psoriasis Patients FDA Today Approved Raptiva for Moderate to Severe Psoriasis PORTLAND, Ore., Oct. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Psoriasis Foundation today applauded the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of the biologic drug efalizumab (brand name Raptiva) to treat chronic, moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults. The drug, manufactured by Genentech and XOMA, could be available to the 1.5 million Americans with moderate to severe psoriasis by year's end. "This is not just a victory for psoriasis patients, it is a victory for biomedical research," said Gail Zimmerman, president and CEO of the Psoriasis Foundation. "In just 20 years, we have gone from having little understanding of the roots of psoriasis to seeing the FDA approve drugs, like Raptiva, that improve a psoriasis patient's symptoms by targeting specific cells in the immune system. The biologic drug revolution is generating valuable new choices for those living with this incurable disease." Many psoriasis patients report great frustration with their disease and with existing treatment options. In a Psoriasis Foundation survey, 75 percent of people with moderate to severe psoriasis reported that their psoriasis is a large problem in their life, while 78 percent of those surveyed indicated they don't use more aggressive therapies to treat their disease, often because of concerns about possible side effects. "My quality of life improved dramatically after I entered a Raptiva clinical trial," said Mark Lemelin, a Psoriasis Foundation member from Broomfield, Colo., who testified before an FDA advisory committee in September in support of Raptiva. "This is the most successful treatment I have tried in my 26 years as a psoriasis patient, and it gives me hope for the future." Raptiva and other biologics build on advances in biomedical and pharmaceutical research that have both broadened our knowledge about the root causes of psoriasis while enabling drugs to be engineered from proteins produced by living cells. Earlier this year, Biogen's Amevive (alefacept) became the first biologic drug approved for psoriasis, while Amgen's Enbrel (etanercept) is approved to treat psoriatic arthritis and is now being reviewed by the FDA for its effectiveness in treating psoriasis. Centocor's Remicade (infliximab) is also in advanced clinical trials for psoriasis, and several other biologics are in various stages of development. "Efalizumab blocks the activity of T cells, the immune cells that are key to the development of psoriasis," said Kenneth B. Gordon, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Loyola University Medical Center near Chicago and a member of the Psoriasis Foundation's Medical Board. "While traditional psoriasis therapies have interactions with other organ systems that limit their long term use, we are hopeful that this drug's mechanism will allow for sustained, beneficial use." About Psoriasis Psoriasis is a lifelong skin disease that occurs when faulty signals in the immune system cause skin cells to regenerate too quickly -- every three to four days instead of the usual 30-day cycle. Extra skin cells build up on the skin's surface, forming red, flaky, scaly lesions that can itch, crack, bleed and be extremely painful. Psoriasis generally appears on the joints, limbs and scalp but it can appear anywhere on the body, covering some people from head to toe. More than 5 million Americans have been diagnosed with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis, a degenerative disease of the joints and connective tissues associated with psoriasis. Psoriasis typically first strikes people between the ages of 15 and 35, but can affect anyone at any age, including children. About the National Psoriasis Foundation The National Psoriasis Foundation is the leading nonprofit organization fighting to improve the quality of life of the more than 5 million Americans diagnosed with psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis and their families. Sustained by annual contributions from more than 40,000 members as well as corporate and foundation grants, its mission is to educate people about these diseases and their treatments, raise public awareness, and support ongoing research. The organization is headquartered in Portland, Ore. For more information, please call the Psoriasis Foundation at 800-723-9166 or visit http://www.psoriasis.org/ . DATASOURCE: National Psoriasis Foundation CONTACT: Michael Paranzino of National Psoriasis Foundation, +1-503-546-8393, or Web site: http://www.psoriasis.org/

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