Tinefcon an Option for Millions with Psoriasis

I was listening to a presentation by a physician funded by the Big Pharma companies a few days ago, and he was talking about how only about 10% of people with psoriasis in the US were getting the latest biologic treatments. He was encouraging people to find out if they too could be on these medications.

These injections are so strong that only about 1 in 6 psoriasis sufferers are even considered potential candidates for their use. I wondered if this physician had even considered that there were quite a few explanations besides the ingorance of consumers for the low adoption of these medications. Firstly, a lot of people I know with psoriasis, while wanting desperately to get rid of their symptoms, are still very concerned about the side effects (known and unknown) of these powerful treatments. An increasing number of people are questioning what the long term effects on their bodies will be of taking the host of medications proffered by the pharma industry.

Secondly, I wondered if he had ever stopped to think what the $20,000/year bill for many of the biologics would do to the average family budget (meaning $300-$500/month co-pays).

There are a lot of reason why people are seeking a better option. And we think we have exactly that in Tinefcon.

Children with Psoriasis

I received a really heart-rending letter from a mother today. She was describing the suffering of not only her husband, whose whole family has psoriasis, but now also her son. The difficulties he was encountering in school, and on the sports field in particular, were really terrible.

She told of how her son was a really good athlete, and that playing sports was the one thing that seemed to make him forget about his psoriasis. Unfortunately, it seems he is also developing psoriatic arthritis, and its starting to affect his ability to participate in the games he loves.

She was reaching out hoping that Tinefcon could be the answer. He had been to the doctors, but they had thus far only been willing to prescribe creams and a short course of steroids.

Stories like this one convince me the difficulties we encounter every day are worth it. This boy was old enough (15) that he could safely take Tinefcon, but young enough that they didn't want him on more toxic medications. I hope we can be the answer for the millions of people who, for whatever reasons, be they financial, geographical, medical or otherwise, don't have a good way to address their psoriasis.

Developing a PR Strategy for Psoriasis Treatment

I was in NY today meeting with a specialist healthcare PR firm. They made a lot of good points, but it is somewhat scary how much its going to cost to follow their advice. I started this blog so people could understand how difficult it is to launch a new supplement product--you have to differentiate yourself from all the false products out there.

Well, the best way to do this is to get what the PR guys call "KOLs", key opinion leaders, to accept your story. This is done by spending time and money to convince them in the hope that they will repeat your message. This makes a lot of sense, as it gives people a trusted source opinion on your product.

I will be spending a lot of time over the coming months contacting the KOLs in the psoriasis world, and trying to communicate the Tinefcon message--safe, long term and effective option for psoriasis sufferers, and a new weapon in the arsenal of dermatologists.