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Press
Release June 23, 2006
New Psoriasis treatments cost more than a house
Recently approved Biologic
drug treatments for severe psoriasis cost more than the average annual house
payment according to a recently published article. The May 2006 issue of
Managed Care Magazine cited the 30 year total cost of these therapies
ranging from $172,000 to $320,000.
In the same article, home
UVB phototherapy, a newer form of an established treatment, is shown to cost
only $7,000 over the same 30 year time period with an equally effective profile
yet with decades of safe use. With these compelling economics, the article urges
Managed Care Organizations (MCO) to modify their benefit structures to encourage
home phototherapy as the first treatment option for severe psoriasis. The
article’s author, Tom Morrow M.D. questions the rationale for MCO’s paying for
Biologics and the equivalent of a house payment for these patients, while making
it difficult for members to obtain a safe, effective, economical and physician
controlled treatment that can be done in their home in the form of home UV-B
treatments. < view article>
National Biological
Corporation, the inventor of home phototherapy established in 1967, is the
world’s largest manufacturer of clinical and home phototherapy equipment for the
treatment of skin disease including severe psoriasis. The company’s products
have been listed with the Food and Drug Administration. |
