Clinical Trials Update: June 24, 2008

(HealthDay News) -- Here are the latest clinical trials, courtesy of CenterWatch:

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

If your child is a hospitalized person, aged 17 or younger, and requires acid suppression therapy to treat suspected, symptomatic or proven GERD, the child or adolescent may qualify to participate in this study.

The research site is in Little Rock, Ark.

More information

Please see http://www.centerwatch.com/patient/studi....

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Anxiety Disorders

While the Johnson & Johnson drug ustekinumab may be effective in treating moderate-to-severe psoriasis, it also may raise users' risk of cancer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Friday.

On its Web site, the agency said it probably needed to evaluate additional safety data before deciding whether the skin-disease drug increased the likelihood of cancer, the Wall Street Journal reported.

"The is a question whether a larger number of subjects, followed for longer periods might better inform the long-term safety of use of ustekinumab," the agency said.

EmpowHer's HealthDay News
FRIDAY, May 30 (HealthDay News) -- The use of biologics is the focus of new guidelines for the management of mild to severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis released by the American Academy of Dermatology (ADA).

Biologics -- given by injection or infusion -- are systemic medications that pinpoint immune responses involved with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

THURSDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- The drug ustekinumab has been shown to be a very effective initial and long-term treatment for moderate-to-severe psoriasis in two studies published in this week's issue of The Lancet.

Ustekinumab works by binding to two interleukins, proteins produced by the immune system that mediate inflammatory reactions in diseases like psoriasis. The binding stops the interleukins from reaching their specific receptors on the surface of cells.

THURSDAY, May 15 (HealthDay News) -- PhotoMedex's XTRAC Velocity Laser has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat psoriasis and other skin disorders, including vitiligo, atopic dermatitis and leukoderma, the company said Thursday.

The new system delivers higher UV power and is up to three times faster than its predecessor, PhotoMedex said in a statement.

By Steven Reinberg
EmpowHer's HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- A new drug for patients with moderate to severe psoriasis appears to be safe and effective, a Canadian trial shows.