Experimental Psoriasis Treatments

(LifeWire) - New therapies to treat the itching, scales and tenderness of psoriasis are continually emerging.

Access to treatments in the experimental stage is usually only possible if you participate in a clinical trial. Patients who have not been able to find relief with remedies already on the market can talk to their physicians about clinical trials. The government maintains a searchable database of trials planned, underway and completed. Here you can not only see what trials may be available to you that are recruiting patients, but you can also get a sense of the whole gamut of possible treatments under consideration.

A search of the US government's clinical trials database reveals that approximately 80 psoriasis medications are currently involved in clinical trials. Here is a summary of some of the treatments that look most promising.

Coming to the Market

CNTO 1275 (generic name, ustekinumab) is an injectable drug. Centocor, Inc., the manufacturer of this medication, has applied for FDA approval for this drug, and an FDA advisory committee has recommended that the drug be approved. CNTO 1275 works by blocking an immune response that researchers believe plays a role in psoriasis. One of the clinical trials of CNTO 1275 found that 81% of the patients treated achieved "at least a 75% improvement in their psoriasis" after 12 weeks.

Taclonex Scalp was approved by the FDA in May 2008. This medication, which was new to the market in 2006, has been reformulated to treat psoriasis on the scalp. It combines a steroid called betamethasone dipropionate and a synthetic derivative of vitamin D called calcipotriol. Calciopotriol has been shown to improve psoriasis symptoms by slowing the rate of cell reproduction. In most people with psoriasis, cells reproduce at an accelerated rate. The most common side effect associated with Taclonex was skin irritation at the application site.

In Clinical Trials

Researchers are studying the safety and efficacy of a new medication called ISA247. This oral medication is in the same class of medications as cyclosporine, a drug that suppresses the immune system's inflammatory response to infection. Studies have shown that this immune response is, in part, responsible for psoriasis symptoms. Cyclosporine, which is an effective treatment option, often cannot be used over the long term due to serious possible side effects, such as kidney failure. ISA247 is showing promise in treating the disease without the toxicity of cyclosporine.

Becocalcidiol, a vitamin D analogue, is also under evaluation. According to research studies this topical medication does not cause significant skin irritation or elevated blood calcium levels, as do some other vitamin D-related treatments. According to a 2007 study of 185 people whose psoriasis affected up to 10% of their body's surface area, complete or near-complete clearance of psoriasis symptoms was seen in about 25% of patients after eight weeks.

Also, golimumab is another psoriasis treatment currently in clinical trials, which has shown promise in treating psoriatic arthritis. Psoriatic arthritis develops when advanced psoriasis begins to affect joints and cartilage. Golimumab belongs to a class of medications called biologics or tumor necrosis factor-alpha inhibitors (TNF-alpha inhibitors). The body releases TNF-alpha when responding to an infection. In those people who have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, the protein remains in the bloodstream, causing inflammation in places where there is no infection. The company that manufactures the drug reports that at a 100 milligram monthly dose of golimumab, 50% of patients report significant improvement in their psoriasis symptoms. However, at a 50 milligram dose, about 40% of patients reported significant improvement. The drug, which has not yet been submitted for FDA approval, has not yet been evaluated by an independent study.

The National Psoriasis Foundation Web site has more information about medications that are "in the research pipeline."

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