Have you tried a few different treatments for your psoriasis, but they aren’t helping as much as you’d hope? If so, you might be interested in joining a clinical trial to try out new therapies.1 These large studies are always recruiting people with psoriasis to learn more about a new treatment’s safety and how well it works (efficacy).
You might also want to join a clinical trial to help doctors and researchers learn more about how psoriasis treatments affect your body. Outside of new drugs, investigators (doctors and researchers who run studies) are also looking at how changing your diet can affect your psoriasis symptoms.
Below is an overview of the current trends in psoriasis treatments being studied in clinical trials.
Learn more about...
New Treatments for Psoriasis
Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition caused by an overactive immune system. Many treatments already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) work by blocking your immune system to control inflammation.
Investigators are studying several new treatments — some that work like available therapies and others that work in new ways — to treat psoriasis. Investigators may also study drugs that have been approved for treating other conditions. They need to make sure they’re safe and effective for treating psoriasis.
Examples of new and approved drugs to look out for in clinical trials and in the future as psoriasis treatments include:
- Rimegepant: An approved migraine treatment being studied for plaque psoriasis2
- TLL018: A Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor that blocks the immune system; JAK inhibitors are commonly used to treat another skin condition known as eczema3
- VTX958: A drug that interferes with how your immune cells communicate with one another4
Studying Previously Approved Psoriasis Treatments in New Populations
Over the years, the FDA has approved several treatments for all types of psoriasis. These approvals are typically made after one or two large clinical trials in a specific set of participants. Some studies may prevent pregnant women, children, and teenagers from joining since they’re more likely to get sick when trying a new treatment.5,6
Now, investigators are interested in learning more about how psoriasis treatments affect these groups who weren’t originally able to join a trial. Since the medications are already approved and known to be generally safe and effective, they can study them in other groups.
If you originally weren’t able to join a clinical trial because you didn’t meet the criteria, you can always check for these types of studies. Investigators are studying biologics, phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitors, and other approved therapies in certain populations.
Did you know your child or teenager may also be able to join a clinical trial? Investigators sometimes recruit younger participants to make sure that treatments used in adults are also safe and effective in younger people. If your child or teenager’s psoriasis has been tricky to treat, their dermatologist may recommend a clinical trial to try an already approved treatment. While there’s always a risk in joining a trial, it helps to know these therapies were already shown to be safe and effective in adults.
New Research Topics and Trends in Psoriasis Treatments
To get a new drug approved by the FDA, investigators have to prove that it’s safe and effective. This means that during clinical trials, they’re only interested in studying whether a psoriasis drug improves skin symptoms. Once a drug is approved, investigators can then start to learn more about its long-term effects.
Clinical trials are currently ongoing to study how psoriasis treatments affect our bodies. Some studies are looking at how treatment changes cholesterol levels, natural bacteria found in the stomach, and cells in the immune system. The data from these studies can be used to help doctors and researchers create new treatments in the future.
Other studies are also investigating how diet can affect psoriasis symptoms. Since food allergies and psoriasis are caused by an overactive immune system, investigators are interested in learning more about how they might be connected.
Joining a Psoriasis Clinical Trial
Find Clinical Trials Near Me
Interested in clinical trials? Simply search by postal code and type of condition to see what’s going on in your area.
After learning more about these new and exciting advances for treating psoriasis, you might be interested in joining a clinical trial. This is a big step in your journey to better managing your condition. The first thing you should do is find studies that are recruiting participants near you.
Once you find a few studies, talk to your family, friends, and primary care doctor or dermatologist about participating. Clinical trials can be quite a commitment, and you’ll want to weigh the benefits and risks. You may be excited to try a new treatment if your current plan isn’t working, or you may want to help move psoriasis research forward. The choice to join a study is ultimately up to you — if you choose to join and no longer want to participate, you can withdraw at any time.
All clinical trials have requirements that you need to meet in order to join. These are known as inclusion criteria, and they change from study to study. You might need to be a certain age or have mild, moderate, or severe psoriasis based on a scale or score. There are also exclusion criteria, or certain factors that prevent you from participating in a study. Examples of exclusion criteria could include taking certain medications or pregnancy.
