New Strategic Plan Outlines Major Milestones and New Initiatives on a Path To a Cure
Portland, Ore. (July 1, 2019) — After completing one of the most ambitious strategic plans in its history, the National Psoriasis Foundation, NPF, announces its fiscal year 2020-2024 strategic plan. With a continued focus on a life free of psoriatic disease and its burdens, NPF remains committed to finding a cure for psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis while supporting individuals to live longer and healthier lives.
The new plan was developed by a committee of patients, caregivers, clinicians, researchers, nonprofit consultants, former industry executives, and NPF staff and board members. Considering today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities, the plan pushes NPF further than ever before.
“We have made great strides over the past 50 years,” said Randy Beranek, president, and CEO, NPF. “We have an obligation to our community to educate more people, advocate for better and more timely access to treatments, fund research that leads to accurate diagnostic tools, a better understanding of comorbidities, and the overall impact of psoriatic disease on people’s quality of life. Because if we don’t do it, who will?”
Over the next five years, NPF will focus on achieving three goals, to:
- Lead collaborative, transformational research in psoriatic disease
- Increase the lifespan and health of individuals living with psoriatic disease
- Secure the human, technological and financial resources necessary to achieve NPF’s mission-related goals
Measurement of these goals includes tracking against milestones created to achieve the following:
- Reduce to zero the burden of psoriasis on the skin
- Reduce by 50 percent the time from when individuals living with psoriasis first exhibit symptoms of psoriatic arthritis until their diagnosis[1]
- Develop a diagnostic test for psoriatic arthritis
- Establish a multi-institution, multi-disciplinary research team with the aim of identifying an intervention that will prevent the onset of psoriatic disease
- Improve by two years the lifespan of individuals living with psoriatic disease
- Improve by 50 percent the quality of life of individuals living with psoriatic disease
“The aggressive goals of this new plan build upon the success of our last strategic plan,” said Chip Newton, board chair, NPF. “We know that through continued hard work and collaboration with others in the field that we can be successful in achieving our vision of a life free of psoriatic disease and its burdens.”
Accomplishments the NPF has made in the treatment of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis include, creating a Patient Navigation Center, receiving CME accreditation to offer proprietary, recent and relevant health care provider education, expanded patient education channels featuring the new Psound Bytes™ podcast and health-oriented webcasts, positive advancements of step therapy legislation in 26 states and supported multiple federal efforts, including leading an FDA patient-focused drug development meeting.
From a research perspective, NPF developed and issued psoriasis treatment guidelines in collaboration with the American Academy of Dermatology, developed and issued the psoriatic arthritis treatment guidelines with the American College of Rheumatology, announced Treat to Target psoriasis treatment recommendations, launched the PsA Diagnosis Project and funded more than $21 million in research grants and fellowships.
To learn more about psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis visit www.psoriasis.org. Consider donating, becoming an advocate, or volunteering your time to assist NPF in serving the psoriatic disease community and finding a cure.
[1] According to the 2018 NPF annual survey, 80 percent of people exhibiting symptoms of PsA are diagnosed after six months. The rest are diagnosed more than five years later.