Lake Mary, Florida (PRWEB) October 10, 2014
Axium Healthcare Pharmacy announced today that it will begin to dispense Otezla® (apremilast), an oral treatment for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in patients where phototherapy or systemic therapy is deemed appropriate. Otezla® is the first and only PDE4 inhibitor approved for the treatment of plaque psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin disease that involves the immune system. Axium is one of a limited number of specialty pharmacies selected by drug manufacturer Celgene to dispense Otezla®, which was FDA approved for this treatment indication on September 19, 2014.
According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, psoriasis is the most prevalent autoimmune disease in the United States, affecting approximately 7.5 million Americans. Plaque psoriasis, the most common form of the disease, affects 80 percent of psoriasis sufferers. The condition is so prevalent that it affects approximately 125 million people worldwide—about 2 percent of the population.
“Treatment with oral Otezla® offers patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis an entirely new option, and provides a unique opportunity for those who have had limited results with other forms of treatment,” explains Mark Montgomery, President and CEO of Axium Healthcare Pharmacy.
“In addition to this, guidance and support from a specialty pharmacy like Axium makes therapy significantly easier for patients and providers to manage,” he adds. “Our clinical expertise in plaque psoriasis paired with our ‘helping hand’ therapy management programs help to ensure that patients and providers can better understand and maximize the benefits of oral Otezla® treatment.”
Prescribing information for Otezla® can be found online at http://www.otezla.com.
About Axium Healthcare Pharmacy
Founded in 2000, Axium Healthcare Pharmacy, Inc. is a nationwide provider of specialty pharmacy services. A wholly-owned subsidiary of The Kroger Company, Axium provides drug therapies and patient support services to treat chronic, genetic, and other complex conditions such as Hepatitis C, Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and a number of others.
For more information, contact Axium Healthcare Pharmacy at 888.315.3395 or visit http://www.axiumhealthcare.com.
About Celgene
Celgene Corporation, headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, is an integrated global biopharmaceutical company engaged primarily in the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases through gene and protein regulation. For more information, please visit http://www.celgene.com.
