FDA approves risky new drug for psoriasis

FDA approves ‘suicide stunner’ of a psoriasis med

If you’ve watched television for more than ten minutes lately, you’ve seen ad after ad promoting drugs for psoriasis.

People in these commercials are desperately trying to cover up any signs of the condition, while those who take Big Pharma’s meds are confidently going to yoga class and the hairdresser, and enjoying swimming and walking in the park!

But look past the pretty pictures and activities going on, and you’ll hear some dire warnings about these drugs. Because it turns out meds for psoriasis are among some of the most dangerous ones out there.

And that especially includes a brand new one just approved by the FDA last week.

It’s a frightening drug that never should have made it to the finish line. But now that it has, there are some very important things you need to know about it.

‘Suicide stunner’
A couple of years ago, this new psoriasis med was called a “suicide stunner.”

Now, however, it’s being called Siliq.

Soon, I’m sure that the non-stop commercials for this drug will be showing you people prancing through fields of flowers with puppies and perfect skin.

But here’s something you won’t be hearing.

After some frightening suicide concerns came to light during the trials, the drug was tossed around like a poisoned hot potato. It was first owned by AstraZeneca and Amgen. Then AZ started looking for a buyer, and it finally found one in a pharma company called Valeant.

Siliq is coming out of the gate with a black box warning about suicide “ideation and behavior.” And wait until you hear this!

Even the FDA thinks the med is so dangerous that it requires what’s called a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS). That means doctors need to be “certified” with the Siliq REMS program so they will know how to “counsel patients” about the suicide risk.

On top of that, pharmacies that dispense the med have to be certified with the REMS program as well and only give the drug to patients who have been pre-authorized to receive it!

Think about it. Siliq is so dangerous that trained, experienced doctors need additional certification before they can write an Rx for it?

The drug will come along with a “Medication Guide” for patients to brush up on the signs of depression and suicide as well.

Last year, this drug was OK’d by an FDA advisory panel that voted 18-0 that it should be approved. And it did so, despite the fact that it knew the drug’s history of suicides during testing was even higher than what would be expected in a large trial for a psychiatric med.

Plus that, like all drugs to treat psoriasis, Siliq can knock your immune system for a loop and leave you open to numerous diseases and infections such as tuberculosis. And if all that isn’t enough to have you running for the hills, the FDA reports that the most common adverse reactions are joint pain, headache, fatigue, diarrhea, throat pain, nausea, muscle pain, the flu, low white blood cell count and fungal infections.

But perhaps despite everything I’ve seen so far about this med, one of the biggest shockers was a comment made in a pharma trade pub, asking if the drugmaker will price Siliq at a “discount to reflect its safety challenges.”

Plaque psoriasis, what Siliq was approved to treat, is thought to be an autoimmune disease that causes a rapid turnover of skin cells. And instead of a drug that requires your doctor to get special certification to prescribe it, why not try some natural treatments such as: exposure of affected areas to light (both natural and artificial), keeping skin well moisturized and supplements such as fish oil (for the omega-3 fatty acids), or evening primrose oil and milk thistle.

Because even if this drug ended up costing only a penny, untold numbers of patients may end up paying the ultimate price for it.

“FDA approves Siliq for psoriasis” Robert Lowes, February 15, 2017, Medscape, medscape.com