Medicine may have advanced treatment for psoriasis, but many patients are still dissatisfied with their treatment plans, AbbVie says—and it's rolling out a new awareness campaign to help change that.
The campaign, called “Let Me Be Clear,” began on World Psoriasis Day Oct. 29 with patient stories and a call to action to encourage more productive discussions with physicians.
AbbVie, which markets psoriasis fighters Humira and Skyrizi, says many of the 125 million people affected worldwide are still undertreated.
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“We created Let Me Be Clear to go beyond disease awareness and provide people with psoriasis with a place where they can share experiences and inspire each other to not settle for less," an AbbVie spokesperson said via email. "Storytelling is a key to the campaign because we believe the best way to empower people with psoriasis is through other people who share their experiences.”
In videos on the campaign homepage, several patients share how they've spoken out about psoriasis and why it was important. Meanwhile, a blog section—called “Speak Clearly”—offers tips and explains how to get the most from a doctor visit.
The campaign isn’t AbbVie’s first awareness push in psoriasis, but the patient empowerment piece is different from its previous efforts, the spokeswoman said. One of the reasons patients go untreated or are treated unsuccessfully is miscommunication about their disease or discomfort talking to physicians.
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Liane, a patient who blogs and posts on social media, relates how she finally built up the confidence to share a photograph of her skin condition. She was encouraged when people told her she was brave and that she gave them courage to do the same.
“I think that the more that I shared my story, the more that my confidence with my psoriasis grew," she says. "So the bad days you can have with psoriasis were less, and the good days you can have with psoriasis were more."