What to do against this disease? Several organizations bringing together dermatologists are calling on the government to facilitate patient access to new treatments whose effectiveness has been demonstrated.
What treatments?
Biotherapies, which come in the form of injections composed of antibodies, to be renewed every 8 to 12 weeks, exist today. To limit the pressure of this care on the health budget, the State has chosen to limit access to these biotherapies. “To be able to benefit from this new treatment, patients’ bodies must be covered by more than 10% by psoriasis,” explains Jo Lambert, dermatologist specializing in psoriasis at UZ Gent. “Otherwise, they must follow the old treatments and only if these do not work can they benefit from the new biotherapy. Only 10% of patients can currently benefit from the latest advances,” estimates the dermatologist.
Dermatologists from the Royal Belgian Society of Dermatology and Venerology as well as the Belgian Professional Union of Dermatology and Venerology believe that the current criteria are too restrictive and do not sufficiently take into account the quality of life of patients. “The government should focus on the long-term benefits of this type of treatment. »
What other solutions?
Finally, professionals are calling for integrated management of psoriasis, based on multidisciplinary collaboration but also to better take into account the physical, emotional and psychological impacts of psoriasis.
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