NHS patients suffering from painful arthritis caused by psoriasis skin condition will be eligible to receive a medication that significantly reduces their symptoms.
The drug is upadacitinib, which tackles the debilitating condition by halting the immune system’s mistaken attack on healthy tissue in the joints.
The NHS has already approved it to be used for the treatment of 400,000 Britons suffering from rheumatoid.
Since April 2013, psoriatic arthritis patients in Scotland had been able to access upadacitinib after a review of the Scottish Medicines Consortium.
Now the UK’s prescribing watchdog, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, has decided the daily pill can be extended to all NHS patients.
Professor Laura Coates, a rheumatologist at the University of Oxford, praised the move, saying: ‘This will have a big impact for this patient group.
‘Living with two chronic conditions at once is massively difficult, so having another drug which can help reduce their symptoms is really welcome.’
In September 2019, reality TV star Kim Kardashian (above) revealed she had been diagnosed with the condition, which she described as ‘painful and scary’. In her case it began with a rash on her stomach and legs, and led to severe pain in her hands that meant she was unable ‘even to pick up a toothbrush’
Sufferers first develop psoriasis, which causes red, flaky and itchy patches of skin all over the body, and then – usually several years later – joint problems affect the knees, hands, feet and lower back which get progressively worse. Kim Kardashian shares news about her condition for 2019
About 150,000 Britons suffer from psoriatic arthritis. This causes their joints to become stiff, painful and swollen. The condition cannot be cured, and at its most severe a person’s joints can become permanently damaged, meaning joint replacement surgery may be needed alongside the ongoing and uncomfortable skin problems. Pictured: Kim Kardashian in 2019
Psoriatic arthritis is a condition that affects approximately 150,000 Britons. It causes joints to become stiff and painful.
Sufferers first develop psoriasis, which causes red, flaky and itchy patches of skin all over the body, and then – usually several years later – joint problems affect the knees, hands, feet and lower back which get progressively worse.
The condition cannot be cured, and at its most severe a person’s joints can become permanently damaged, meaning joint replacement surgery may be needed alongside the ongoing and uncomfortable skin problems.
In September 2019, reality TV star Kim Kardashian revealed she had been diagnosed with the condition, which she described as ‘painful and scary’.
In her case it began with a rash on her stomach and legs, and led to severe pain in her hands that meant she was unable ‘even to pick up a toothbrush’.
About one third of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic joint disease. Most joint issues occur 5-10 years after the diagnosis. However, they can start at any age.
A variety of anti-inflammatory medications are available to treat the condition.
These medications may not be effective for all patients, so stronger drugs are necessary.
Upadacitinib, one of a newly developed class of drugs known to be JAK inhibitors. These drugs block the actions of enzymes called januskinase which are responsible for activating the immune response in the event that the body is being attacked by diseases.
The drugs block the enzymes that cause autoimmune conditions such as psoriatica. This prevents the immune system mistakingly damaging healthy tissue.
JAK inhibitors have been highly successful in treating a number of autoimmune disorders, including Crohn’s disease in which inflammation affects the digestive tract.
![One in three people who suffer from psoriasis will go on to develop psoriatic arthritis. Joint issues tend to occur five to ten years after the psoriasis is diagnosed, which can begin at any age. [File image]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2022/01/22/14/53241183-10430147-image-a-17_1642861843728.jpg)
About one third of people with psoriasis develop psoriatic disease. Most joint issues occur 5-10 years after diagnosis. [File image]
A large US study found that upadacitinib was effective in reducing psoriatic symptoms. Over half of patients saw arthritis symptoms disappear and two thirds experienced relief from psoriasis.
NHS patients with arthritic symptoms and who have not responded to previous treatments will have access to Upadacitinib.
Julie Morrish (51), was the first patient with psoriatic disease in Britain to be able to receive upadacitinib. She was given compassionate treatment last April because of the severeness of her symptoms.
A seven-year-old marketing manager from Wantage in Oxfordshire developed both psoriasis & arthritis simultaneously.
She says: ‘The joints in my knees and ankles swelled up and I struggled to walk. It became difficult to get out of bed in the morning, and at its worst I was literally crawling to the bathroom.’
Julie was also diagnosed with severe psoriasis of her hands and feet.
‘The patches got infected and it was incredibly painful. I had to be signed off work it was so bad.’
Julie was an avid weightlifter and competed until she received her diagnosis. She tried many medications, but they either proved ineffective or caused her severe side effects.
She started upadacitinib last April and saw a significant difference in her health within days.
She says: ‘Immediately my joints were better and I had more energy. I had really stubborn psoriasis patches but these went away, and now it doesn’t feel like I even have it.
‘Sometimes I’m a bit sore here and there, but my arthritis is basically gone too. It’s quite amazing.’