Treatment News
Welcome to our new ‘Treatment news’ section, which will be updated online when new treatments become available or there is an update on an existing product or range.
Does your child suffer from Eczema?
Treating childhood eczema is often a complex business for parents, involving a range of products and methods. Now, a lotion that has a novel method of reaching and calming inflammation and itching in the deep skin layers is to be tested across the UK.
This new lotion uses a well-established active ingredient which has been successful in asthma and other allergy treatments; the trial will record how effective the lotion is against varying severities of eczema and also whether its use reduces the need for other medication.
The trial involves daily home monitoring and seven visits to a specialist NHS assessor; it extends over a period of sixteen weeks and is for children with atopic eczema aged 2-12.
Participants in the National trial are currently being recruited from the Dundee, Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, Nuneaton, Enfield and Central London areas – so if you live there and you’re interested, call 0800 232 1774 for information. For a pdf with further details, just click HERE.
Eczema Clothing Ltd/Cotton Comfort launches Eco-organic range
Cotton Comfort is introducing a new Eco-organic range of basic eczema garments for these challenging times, alongside their ‘natural silver soothe’ fabric garments. All the much loved design features remain unchanged – flat seams and double fabric on itchy hotspots are combined with a lighter-weight fabric to help keep cooler.
Prices are up to 50% less than for the non-Economy range – for example, the Eco-organic Comfymitt PJ (pictured) is now just £20. As Cotton Comfort approaches its 30th birthday, for founder Dorothy Clark, ‘Styles have developed and changed since those early days – however, the principles remain the same. Soft protection for hands and feet reduces the amount of damage and distress from scratching. Close-fitting rather than loose-fitting clothing reduces the amount of chafing.’
Dorothy would also love to hear from customers – including her original customers from 1980 now buying for the next generation – with any memorable photos of their family in Cotton Comfort clothing and any memories they have of Cotton Comfort over the past 30 years, for inclusion in a special anniversary catalogue in 2010. Cotton Comfort will donate £50 to NES for each photograph used.
Epaderm goes large
Mölnlycke Health Care has added a new supersize 1-kg pot of Epaderm ointment to its emollient range. (The 125-g and 500-g pots also remain available).
Developed by dermatologists, Epaderm ointment contains yellow soft paraffin, emulsifying wax and liquid paraffin, and deeply moisturises and softens the skin. It contains no fragrances, colourings, additives or preservatives.
The Primary Care Dermatology Society (PCDS) and the British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) guidelines recommend that for application to the whole body, children under 10 require 250 g of an emollient per week, and children over 10 and adults usually require 600 g per week.
Complying with the guidelines, a child under 10 years old, requiring full body application, would use a 1-kg pot of Epaderm per month, while this size would last an adult nearly 2 weeks. The larger-size pot is intended to reduce the need for repeat prescriptions.
For more information on Epaderm emollient, contact Mölnlycke Health Care on 0800 7311 876 or email info.uk@molnlycke.com Alternatively, visit the Skin Care World website at www.skincareworld.co.uk
Patient choice? Not when it comes to your treatment – your chance to act
The Department of Health proposes to introduce Automatic Generic Substitution in January 2010. If this goes ahead – far from your being able to use your preferred emollient (or other treatment) – even your GP would lose the power to decide what medicine their patients ultimately receive, as pharmacists can offer a generic drug rather than the branded one, despite the doctor’s suggestions.
While generic medicines have the same active ingredient as the branded medicine, they are not always identical to the branded medicine, which could mean that a patient may receive a medicine that is less effective or has different side effects. This is of particular concern for eczema patients, as each treatment is personal to the individual.
Worse still, if you are given a generic emollient even though you are prescribed your usual brand and then react to the generic one, no one will be sure what you have reacted to because your notes with your GP will refer to the brand he or she prescribed. The Department of Health has announced that a full, formal consultation on the arrangements for the implementation of Automatic Generic Substitution will take place this autumn. This is welcome news to many who have serious concerns for the clinical implications that generic substitution would have on patients. It is important that patients and healthcare professionals are aware of this public consultation and write in with their views.
NICE recommends alitretinoin (Toctino) for severe chronic hand eczema
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended alitretinoin (Toctino) as a treatment option for adults with severe, chronic hand eczema that has not responded to potent topical cortiocosteroids, and it is now available on NHS prescription from your doctor.
The NES was one of the consultees to NICE’s assessment of alitretinoin, which is the first treatment developed specifically for chronic hand eczema. It is a once-daily tablet containing alitretinoin (9-cis retinoic acid), a naturally occurring retinoid structurally related to vitamin A.
This decision will be good news for the 150,000 people in the UK who are thought to have chronic hand eczema – eczema of the hands that is severe and does not go away and does not respond to treatment or keeps coming back. Symptoms can vary from itchy, scaly patches of skin that flake constantly to red, cracked and painful hands with blisters that may weep.
More information about hand eczema and alitretinoin can be found in the article on hand eczema in the September 2008 edition of Exchange, a copy of which can also be found at www.eczema.org/Hand_Eczema_Article.pdf
For a press release on Toctino, click HERE
References
1. Diepgen TL et al. Contact Dermatitis 2007; 57:203-210
DermaSilk grows up
Additional DermaSilk Therapeutic Clothing items have been added to the Drug Tariff and will therefore be available on prescription from 1 August 2009.
Whilst many children grow out of their eczema by the time they go to school, 26% of all children will still have it by the time they are 16 years old and many of these will continue with eczema throughout their adult life.
It is for this reason that DermaSilk Vests and Leggings for Men and Women in sizes Small to XXL, plus Teen and Adult Face Masks, have been added to the listings.
A Roll Neck Shirt is also now available from ages 3-4 up to Adult XXL. This will help counter some of the problems associated with eczema around the neck area.
In addition, unisex Children’s Briefs and a longer (50-cm) Tubular Sleeve have been added to the range.
For more information, visit www.dermasilk.co.uk or call (01234) 834614 for a leaflet.
New Doublebase emollient wash gel from Dermal Laboratories
Doublebase Wash is an alternative to liquid or bar soap. Unlike most soaps, which are detergent based and tend to remove our skin’s natural oils, it contains a non-foaming soap substitute that gently and effectively cleanses the skin.
To retain moisture in the skin, Doublebase Wash contains a humectant that also attracts water from the atmosphere, and has a high oil content that softens the skin and protects against dryness. It is also fragrance free, can be used anywhere on the body and is suitable for all ages, including babies.
Available in a convenient and easy to use 200-g pump dispenser, Doublebase Wash is available at your local pharmacy.
Protopic ointment (tacrolimus monohydrate) – licence extended for new twice-weekly use to help prevent flares
The Licence for Protopic has been extended and from July Protopic is now approved for the maintenance treatment of moderate to severe atopic eczema to prevent flares and prolong flare-free intervals.
Already licensed to treat flares of moderate and severe eczema in adults and children over 2 years who don’t respond to or tolerate other therapies such as topical steroids, the extended licence for Protopic applies to that class and to those whose eczema responds to Protopic.
The new licence is for twice-weekly application on a prophylactic basis to skin previously affected by eczema. This new way of using the treatment is designed to prevent further exacerbations of eczema and prolong flare-free periods.
For a press release on Protopic, click HERE
For more information, you can also call our Helpline on 0800 089 1122.
Emollient Therapy: Evolve Plus
Evolve Plus represents a new approach to emollient therapy; it is 100% natural and contains no extra additives including emulsifiers, solubilisers, preservatives, fragrances, colorants and water.
Evolve Plus is based on a second-generation medical grade lanolin, which has been shown in clinical studies to be very well tolerated and possess superior barrier repair properties to petrolatum.
Owing to its waxy composition, Evolve Plus has an aesthetically-pleasing dry, silky after feel – it is not at all greasy or oily. Delivered in spray form, Evolve Plus is also soothing and cooling – it reduces pain and itch both instantly and longer term.
One reason why Evolve Plus is so effective is that it possesses a number of important similarities to human stratum corneum lipids (the natural ‘oils’ found in the outer layer of the skin) which regulate trans-epidermal water loss and govern the moisturisation level of the skin.
Evolve Plus can be applied as frequently as required including after bathing to lock in moisture. It is best applied sparingly in the form a thin film; there is no need to rub in, however it may be smoothed into the skin if desired. Thicker emollient films can be built up simply by repeating the spray application.
For more information, visit www.it-evolve.com
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