In fact, most analysts think Enbrel, the leader in the rheumatoid-arthritis space, will also lead in psoriasis.
In tests, psoriasis disappeared in a quarter of cases and half saw an improvement.
Efficacy has been shown in arthritis, psoriasis, and gout models, among others ( here).
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Just what causes T cells to malfunction in people with psoriasis isn't entirely clear, although researchers think genetic and environmental factors both play a role.
High levels of TNF also are found in the skin of psoriasis patients.
Late-stage trials ended in May 2001, and the results were impressive:Of 1, 100 patients injected with Amevive, 40% achieved a 75% reduction in the severity of psoriasis.
Private companies have also combed the data to find genes that play roles in diabetes, asthma, psoriasis and migraines.
In a test of Enbrel on 19 psoriasis patients, on average half of the rash disappeared after three months, with few side effects.
These are called keratinocytes and cause a thickening of the skin, resulting in the raised red, scaly patches of psoriasis.
BBC: NEWS | UK | England | Tyne | Hope for skin complaint sufferers
Rafael Tamargo, portfolio manager at Kalmar Investments, notes that the pharma firm has several promising drugs in the pipeline, including a treatment for psoriasis.
Biogen 's (nasdaq: BGEN - news - people ) Amevive has already been approved to treat psoriasis, but must be given in a doctor's office.
He now plans to repeat the study in people who have certain skin conditions such as psoriasis or eczema.
Prominent among these drugs is Amevive, a remedy for severe psoriasis, an autoimmune disorder that causes scaly rash in 7 million Americans (see FORBES, July 22, p. 208).
Enbrel is now in tests for two dozen other diseases, from chronic heart failure to psoriasis to Alzheimer's and even some cancers.
Amgen also sells Enbrel, a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, and it has a handful of promising new drugs in its pipeline.
Amevive is the first treatment for psoriasis, a skin disease that affects some 4 million patients in the U.S. It occurs because patients' immune systems run amok for unknown reasons, causing painful lesions and rashes.
Psoriasis is a disfiguring genetic condition, which affects at least one in 50 people in the UK, making it as common as rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.
Though rendered banal by years of TV ads lamenting "the heartbreak of psoriasis, " the skin disorder actually is a serious immune disease, affecting 7 million people in the U.S. In more than one-third of patients it mars 10% or more of the body surface (the palm of the hand counts as 1%).
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