Recruitment announced for plaque psoriasis clinical trials

Advanced Clinical Care, a clinical trial center in Worcester, Mass., has announced it is recruiting patients for two plaque psoriasis clinical trials.

Researchers will study two treatment medications for people who experience moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, according to a press release.

In the 5-year Amagine trial, researchers will study the effect of treatment with brodalumab, a protein designed to block the interaction of other proteins that can cause inflammation and symptoms related to psoriasis. Patients will be randomly assigned to one of four groups during the study’s first 3 months. Two groups will be treated with brodalumab, one group will receive ustekinumab, and one group will receive placebo. At 3 months, brodalumab patients will be randomly assigned to various frequencies of brodalumab. The placebo cohort will initiate brodalumab therapy, and the ustekinumab cohort will continue to receive treatment for 1 year, and then commence brodalumab.

In the Uncover trial, the efficacy of the investigational drug ixekizumab will be tested on 3,750 patients worldwide. Patients must be aged 18 years or older, have been diagnosed with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis and not have taken etanercept for psoriasis. Patients in the double blind study will be assigned ixekizumab, injected under the skin; etanercept; or placebo. Participation will last for approximately 1 year, with a 4- to 5-year extension.

Information on the trials is available at http://advancedclinicalcare.com/psoriasis-clinical-trials.

“We are excited about these two studies because the drugs should quickly eradicate psoriasis,” Mary Coughlin, RN, co-founder of Advanced Clinical Care, said in the release. “When we clear up the psoriasis, our patients’ lives are changed forever.”