Ep. 261 "Defining On Treatment Remission for Psoriasis and What it Means for You"

Leading dermatologist and NPF Medical Board Member, Dr. Tina Bhutani, and Gail Reiser who lives with plaque psoriasis discuss what “on treatment remission” means for those who have the disease and health care providers.  

Join moderator and resident physician Olivia Kam as she discusses the definition of on treatment remission for plaque psoriasis, and how this definition impacts the management of the disease and when to change treatments with leading dermatologist Dr. Tina Bhutani from Synergy Dermatology in San Francisco, and Gail Reiser who has been living with plaque psoriasis for over 42 years experiencing a variety of treatment options. 

The intent of this episode is to increase knowledge of the latest consensus statement defining what “on treatment remission” means in the context of managing plaque psoriasis and how such information can be used to guide patient/provider discussion and setting treatment goals.

This episode is sponsored by AbbVie.

Timestamps:

(0:23) Intro to Psoriasis Uncovered and guest welcome dermatologist Dr. Tina Bhutani and Gail, who has been living with plaque psoriasis for over 42 years.

(1:56) Definition of “on treatment remission” and development of this unified consensus statement that included almost 100 stakeholders.

(3:28) How the definition of “on treatment remission” impacts management of psoriasis.

(5:09) A patient’s perspective about “on treatment remission” and what it means for future care.

(8:57) Assessing when a change in treatment may be appropriate.  

(11:19) What information a dermatologist can provide to assess if treatment is effective.

(14:20) Prioritizing what to discuss with a dermatologist or health care provider.

(17:21) Call to action for dermatologists from the “On Treatment Remission” consensus statement.

(20:37) Advice for discussing treatment goals as a patient and health care provider.

Key Takeaways:

·       A new consensus statement helps define and standardize what “On Treatment Remission” is and what it means for patient care.

·       Given current treatment options it is possible to reach skin clearance and on treatment remission.

·       Having standardized goals makes it easier for health care providers and patients who have psoriatic disease to work together to reach on treatment remission.

Guest Bios:  

Tina Bhutani, M.D., MAS, is a board-certified dermatologist who is the CEO and owner of Synergy Dermatology in San Francisco. Dr. Bhutani is also an Associate Clinical Professor of Dermatology at UCSF where she previously co-directed the Psoriasis and Skin Treatment Center and directed the Clinical Trials Unit for over 8 years. Dr. Bhutani understands the importance of treating the whole patient and is committed to a patient-centered approach to dermatology. She is a recognized leader in dermatology, giving talks at many national and international meetings. Dr. Bhutani is a member of the National Psoriasis Foundation Medical Board who recently published a consensus statement called “Defining On Treatment Remission in Plaque Psoriasis” in JAMA Dermatology.

Gail Reiser was initially diagnosed with plaque psoriasis at age 12. She remembers the misdiagnoses and difficult treatments of the past such as coal tar and occlusion. Over 42 years of living with plaque psoriasis, Gail has experienced a variety of treatment options including topicals and light therapy, feeling “it is exhausting to treat psoriasis”. As she got older and her plaque psoriasis progressed, she eventually decided to try biologics and hasn’t looked back since making that change. She feels her psoriasis is in remission but fears losing that in the future.

 Resources:

• “Redefining Remission. A new definition for patients, providers, and payers.” Advance Online, National Psoriasis Foundation. S. Schlosser. July 14, 2025.
• To hear other perspectives about living with psoriasis through the resource Gail mentioned: MyPsoriasisTeam. 
• Treatment and Management of Psoriasis