I had a really great call with some guys who work with the largest pharmacy in the UK (Boots). (For those of you in the US or other places who haven't heard, Boots is by far the largest pharmacy company in the UK, kind of like if RiteAid, CVS and Walmart were all rolled into one. It's that dominant.)
We were having preliminary conversations about whether our new herbal psoriasis treatment would be right for them to include in their product selection. Due to new regulations in the EU, after April 2011 all herbal products in the UK and Europe have to be registered with the local version of the FDA. That means that virtually all the products currently available, won't be available in about 9 months.
So, the pharmacies are understandably concerned as to what happens to that portion of the business. The new EU guidelines are an attempt to ensure consumers' safety and bring some order to what has been a "buyer beware" situation in the supplement market (it remains that way in the US, with no reform on the horizon).
They were incredibly excited by Tinefcon. It is the only herbal psoriasis treatment that has any chance of registering under the new rules--we have real, pharmaceutical-grade science behind our product. We have shown, in an rigorous scientific environment, that our product works for psoriasis patients. Not only that, we even have advantages over the prescription medications on both being an oral product and fewer side effects.
One of the guys on the phone said "Wow, this is really going to change the dietary supplement market. It is totally new--an herbal product that really works!" I was so glad to hear him say that, it made my whole day. Finally, someone who got it!
Wednesday, 26 May 2010
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Drug Companies Taking an Interest in Tinefcon
I had a really interesting meeting today with a company which would like to buy the rights to Tinefcon. Interesting because they are the third company in the last month that has contacted us about purchasing our company's herbal psoriasis remedy. Exiciting because Tinefcon is clearly an exceptional product--an herbal supplement that has real, demonstrated clinical efficacy. .
On the one hand, we are flattered that so many companies think our product is great. On the other, I remain frustrated at the difficulty in getting across our message of a new, non-toxic psoriasis treatment. We are sponsoring the San Francisco Walk for a Cure event held by the National Psoriasis Foundation on June 26. That will be our first public event since we presented at the American Academy of Dermatology and I am hopeful that it will be effective in raising our profile. I am also hoping that my presence amongst potential customers will go some way towards alleviating all the skepticism we have encountered thus far.
On the one hand, we are flattered that so many companies think our product is great. On the other, I remain frustrated at the difficulty in getting across our message of a new, non-toxic psoriasis treatment. We are sponsoring the San Francisco Walk for a Cure event held by the National Psoriasis Foundation on June 26. That will be our first public event since we presented at the American Academy of Dermatology and I am hopeful that it will be effective in raising our profile. I am also hoping that my presence amongst potential customers will go some way towards alleviating all the skepticism we have encountered thus far.
Monday, 24 May 2010
Sunny Days Difficult for People with Psoriasis
Hi Everybody,
It was such a beautiful weekend here in London, and it really brought home to me the pain of psoriasis sufferers during the summer months. When everybody else is stripping down to their bareyl-there outfits, having psoriasis becomes that much more traumatic.
It is a shame that more people can't get access to treatemnt they need. In the US, unless you have a gold-plated insurance program, Enbrel or Stelara are great, but very expensive options. I hear from so many people who are struggling under the weight of their Enbrel co-pays (one lady wrote she was paying $500/month and it was nearly bankrupting her).
In the UK, the National Health Service will only pay for Enbrel or Humira if someone has very severe psoriasis, has had courses of methotrexate, steroids, NSAIDs, etc, all of which have to have failed to work. Methotrexate works for a lot of people, but the long term damage to your liver is nothing to cheer about.
I hope that Tinefcon can help some of these people. We are working every day to try and get our message out, but its not easy. So much (healthy) skepticism greets new treatments, even one such as ours which has been validated by the American Academy of Dermatology. I hope that our consistency and personal presence (hey--I've got my picture on the company website), will convince people over time that Tinefcon is a real option for treating their psoriasis.
It was such a beautiful weekend here in London, and it really brought home to me the pain of psoriasis sufferers during the summer months. When everybody else is stripping down to their bareyl-there outfits, having psoriasis becomes that much more traumatic.
It is a shame that more people can't get access to treatemnt they need. In the US, unless you have a gold-plated insurance program, Enbrel or Stelara are great, but very expensive options. I hear from so many people who are struggling under the weight of their Enbrel co-pays (one lady wrote she was paying $500/month and it was nearly bankrupting her).
In the UK, the National Health Service will only pay for Enbrel or Humira if someone has very severe psoriasis, has had courses of methotrexate, steroids, NSAIDs, etc, all of which have to have failed to work. Methotrexate works for a lot of people, but the long term damage to your liver is nothing to cheer about.
I hope that Tinefcon can help some of these people. We are working every day to try and get our message out, but its not easy. So much (healthy) skepticism greets new treatments, even one such as ours which has been validated by the American Academy of Dermatology. I hope that our consistency and personal presence (hey--I've got my picture on the company website), will convince people over time that Tinefcon is a real option for treating their psoriasis.
Friday, 21 May 2010
Launching Tinefcon for Psoriasis
I am creating this blog to recount the journey of launching a new herbal remedy for psoriasis, which we have named Tinefcon (www.tinefcon.com). I'll be talking about a range of topics--from the hardships of some psoriasis patients I have encountered, some of the inequities psoriasis patients suffer due to the healthcare system, to what I know about the psoriasis treatment pipeline and possibilities for future psoriasis treatments.
Our psoriasis treatment has many benefits which psoriasis sufferers will instantly recognize, but might not be obvious to the average person. It comes in tablet form, as opposed the injections of the best medicines available by prescription today (Enbrel, Humira, Stelara, Remicade, etc). Not needing to inject yourself, or have someone else do it, will come as a great relief to many who don't enjoy needles.
Tinefcon is non-toxic, which means it can be taken over long periods without risk of damaging your liver (as happens with methotrexate). Tinefcon is derived from a plant which is sometimes even eaten as food in some parts of the world, and has been used in different herbal medicinal forms for centuries, so we know its safe.
Perhaps as important to some people, it is totally discreet, which comes as a blessing to those whose psoriasis creams and ointments have ruined many a favored article of clothing or led to other embarrassments. Just taking a tablet will seem to good to be true to many who have suffered so long with this disease, but as we go on I'll discuss all the things that came together over the last 5 years to make Tinefcon a reality.
Our psoriasis treatment has many benefits which psoriasis sufferers will instantly recognize, but might not be obvious to the average person. It comes in tablet form, as opposed the injections of the best medicines available by prescription today (Enbrel, Humira, Stelara, Remicade, etc). Not needing to inject yourself, or have someone else do it, will come as a great relief to many who don't enjoy needles.
Tinefcon is non-toxic, which means it can be taken over long periods without risk of damaging your liver (as happens with methotrexate). Tinefcon is derived from a plant which is sometimes even eaten as food in some parts of the world, and has been used in different herbal medicinal forms for centuries, so we know its safe.
Perhaps as important to some people, it is totally discreet, which comes as a blessing to those whose psoriasis creams and ointments have ruined many a favored article of clothing or led to other embarrassments. Just taking a tablet will seem to good to be true to many who have suffered so long with this disease, but as we go on I'll discuss all the things that came together over the last 5 years to make Tinefcon a reality.
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