ACCESS TO FREE MEDICINE: NATIONAL PSORIASIS AWARENESS MONTH
During the month of August, people with a certain type of psoriasis have the chance to access free medicine through Avenue to Access, which was introduced in conjunction with the National Psoriasis Foundation’s awareness month.

The program is for individuals with mild-to-moderate stable plaque psoriasis access to a FREE prescription-size tube of ZITHRANOL-RR® (anthralin, 1.2%) rapid release microcrystalline encapsulated cream.

Those who are interested in receiving a free tube of Zithranol-RR will need to see their doctor first. “The dermatologist should always be the first stop in psoriasis therapy,” said Joel Bernstein, MD, a dermatologist and founder of Elorac, the pharmaceutical company offering the free psoriasis medicine.

Because psoriasis is a chronic disease, ongoing treatment can become very costly throughout a patient’s lifetime. According to a survey panel recently conducted by the National Psoriasis Foundation, approximately 44% of responders went without treatment for their psoriasis due to financial issues.

Psoriasis affects more than 7.5 million Americans and is a chronic disease that causes skin cells to grow at an accelerated rate. While psoriasis is not contagious, the stigma some feel can be debilitating.

For information on Avenue to Access and how to receive the free medicine for psoriasis, visit http://www.avenuetoaccess.com. For more information about psoriasis or to join the National Psoriasis Foundation, go to http://www.psoriasis.org.