text_1: Experimental Psoriasis Drug Bests Older Treatment
text_2: But neither story disclosed the conflicts of interest of the principal investigator. It’s difficult sometimes for journalists to dig and find conflicts of interest in those making claims about health care interventions. But when the conflicts are disclosed and published for anyone to see, why would a news story fail to include that information in a story? And neither story discussed the costs of biolgic drugs in the treatment of psoriasis. These drugs can cost $1,500-2,000/month. We think that any discussion about a new drug should include some comment about costs. Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that, in its more aggressive forms, can produce a good deal of discomfort and disfigurement. Treatments to date have improved but a mainstay drug, methotrexate, is limited in its effectiveness and can have some nasty side effects. Biologic drugs such as Stelara, Humira and Enbrel are somewhat more effective but very expensive. So a story about a new drug that appears effective in very early clinical trials is important.