Psoriasis Cure with a capital  C

The discoveries that emerged in the 60s and 70s about the role your immune system plays in psoriasis led to the emergence of various treatments. Cyclosporine, methotrexate, corticosteroids, and related drugs were used in managing the condition. A few decades after this, there was a decline in advanced treatment. 

Presently, that is history! There has been tremendous progress in research, and new treatments, including new biologic therapies, are close to being approved by the FDA. Unlike cancer, heart disease, and other life-threatening diseases, research in psoriasis has not always been in the public space, and there is limited funding. The nature of the skin also makes experiments on animals like mice unhelpful. 

However, research of other autoimmune conditions in recent years has led to the discovery that some of the problems in these conditions are also present in psoriasis. This discovery brought about the creation of biologic drugs that treat specific parts of your immune system.

What are Biologics?

Biologics are medicines made from the liquids found in living things, which are converted into antibodies and lab-made proteins by doctors. It will then be injected into the bloodstreams or skins of people with psoriasis, thereby blocking the part of your immune system that has been altered due to psoriasis.

How Does Biologics Work?

Biologics work by:

• Curbing a form of white blood cell known as T cells
• Stopping interleukins, a family of chemical messengers in your immune system
• Blocking tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a substance and one of the primary messenger chemicals in the immune system.
• Binding to proteins that leads to inflammation

The biologic medicines that are FDA-approved to treat mild and severe psoriasis are:

• Humira or Adalimumab
• Cyltezo or Adalimumab-adbm
• Siliq or Brodalumab
• Cimzia or Certolizumab pegol
• Etanercept  or Enbrel
• Etanercept-szzs or Erelzi
• Guselkumab or Tremfya
• Remicade or infliximab
• Taltz or Ixekizumab
• SHYRIZI or Risankizumab-rzaa
• Stelara or Secukinumab
• Cosentyx or Secukinumab

Biologics are very effective in the treatment of psoriasis, and they have been shown to reduce psoriasis by 75% in many users.

Drawbacks of Biologics

• Despite its effectiveness, biologics comes with a few drawbacks.
• It is quite expensive
• It could result in some complications, including increasing your chances of cancer and infection
• You need to seek the advice of your doctor for proper monitoring

Apremilast

Drugs like Apremilast is created to treat plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in adults by curbing an enzyme known as PDE-4 or phosphodiesterase-4, which controls inflammation. However, users of this drug experienced side effects such as headache, weight loss, and diarrhea.

 If you’re using this drug, you need a regular check-up for weight and depression due to complications. But, evidence has shown that weight loss may help improve the condition since it reduces the inflammation levels in your body, helping the drugs to give better results. Smoking and taking alcoholic drinks may result in severe psoriasis, but cutting down on both has not been proven to improve the condition. 

Even though drinking alcohol and smoking may worsen psoriasis, there is no proof that cutting down on them will help the condition.