New ‘invisible’ foam to ease psoriasis agony

ASIMPLE-to-use spray-on foam that quickly vanishes into the skin is the latest weapon in the battle against the debilitating skin condition psoriasis.

Clinical trials into the newly licensed treatment found that more than half of patients were cleared or almost cleared of psoriasis symptoms after four weeks of daily use.

Previous treatments have come in heavy ointment form which patients were often reluctant to use as they left the skin extremely greasy, and stained the clothes.

The new spray is quickly absorbed, meaning that patients on the trial were more willing to use it. The better-than-expected results could also point to the drug being better absorbed thanks to the foam carrier.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that causes red, crusty patches that can be itchy or sore. It affects about 1.8 million people in the UK.

The red patches commonly appear on exposed joint areas, such as knees and elbows, but can occur anywhere on the body and vary in size. The problem is often dismissed as cosmetic, but can have serious effects on sufferers’ quality of life due to itching and social stigma.

The new treatment foam Enstilar combines Vitamin D with a corticosteroid and is applied once a day for four weeks.

The ingredients treat the main drivers of psoriasis flare-ups – inflammation of the skin and the excessive production of skin cells, which causes the flaky patches.

This is the first time the two have been combined in a foam spray, and the clinical data shows that Enstilar is a more effective topical combination treatment than those currently available in the UK.

Eight in ten patients in the clinical trial reported improvements in quality of life after four weeks of treatment, and almost half said that their psoriasis was no longer affecting their quality of life when the trial ended.

More than 70 per cent said they slept better, no longer waking up or struggling to fall asleep due to itchy skin.

Mother-of-two Caroline Roberts, 52, from Aylesbury, has been living with psoriasis for 40 years, and suffered such severe flareups that she ended up in hospital.

After years of covering up and feeling self-conscious about her condition, Caroline says she is ‘almost completely free of psoriasis’ after using Enstilar for several weeks.

She said: ‘I have used other treatments in the past, but they can be greasy. They stain your clothes, they stain everything. I’ve never really had a treatment that works and I don’t hate using.

‘My knees and elbows are now completely clear. I’ve got so used to having psoriasis, it’s absolutely amazing to be living without it.’

While there are several types of psoriasis, Enstilar tackles plaque psoriasis – psoriasis vulgaris, the most common form, which affects 80 per cent of sufferers.

The foam is now available on prescription through a GP or dermatologist.

‘If a treatment is messy and difficult to use, it affects how willing people are to use it,’ said Dr Emma Wedgeworth, consultant dermatologist and British Skin Foundation spokeswoman, who also pointed out that any steroid-containing skin treatment is only for short-term use since such drugs can damage the skin if used long-term.

But she cautioned: ‘In most cases, psoriasis is a chronic condition and so when you stop the product, you may find the psoriasis comes back.’

John Warne, founder of support group Psoriasis Help Organisation, said that choice in effective treatments for plaque psoriasis had previously been ‘an area of significant unmet need’, and he expressed delight at the launch of the new foam.