PatientsLikeMe and Merck Establish Health Information Collaboration Focused on Psoriasis

August 13, 2012 10:00 ET

Patient-Based Research Aims to Produce New Insights Into Most Common Autoimmune Disease in U.S.

 

CAMBRIDGE, MA--(Marketwire - Aug 13, 2012) -   PatientsLikeMe announces it has entered into a collaboration with Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, to evaluate the impact of psoriasis on patients and to inform a novel approach to improving outcomes.

 "A broader and more human view of psoriasis will help patients and their doctors understand the true nature of the disease," says Ben Heywood, President and Co-founder of PatientsLikeMe. "We're excited to collaborate with patients and Merck to uncover insights about the disease that may lead to better approaches for patients managing their condition day-to-day; providers creating care plans; and researchers developing treatments."

According to the National Psoriasis Foundation, psoriasis is a non-contagious, chronic, autoimmune disease that appears on the skin and is associated with other serious health conditions including diabetes, heart disease and depression. It is estimated to affect over 7.5 million people in the United States.

"Effective use of health information provides the path forward to patient-centered care and personalized medicine," said Dr. Sachin H. Jain, Chief Medical Information and Innovation Officer, Merck. "Our collaboration with PatientsLikeMe is an important part of Merck's strategy to establish and apply innovative solutions that improve disease management and enhance the patient experience."

Under the agreement, PatientsLikeMe will work directly with Merck's clinical researchers and epidemiologists to analyze and interpret psoriasis patient-reported data.

PatientsLikeMe has an active community of psoriasis patients, where nearly 2,000 people share data and stories to reveal what it's like to have the disease and what they do to treat it. Health profiles, forum postings and journal entries highlight their experiences, and a new survey reveals how the summer season affects them physically and emotionally. Go to http://plmjoin.com/psoriasis to learn more.

About PatientsLikeMe
PatientsLikeMe® (www.patientslikeme.com) is the world's leading online health data-sharing platform. PatientsLikeMe® creates new knowledge by charting the real-world course of disease through the shared experiences of patients. While patients interact to help improve their outcomes, the data they provide helps researchers learn how these diseases act in the real world and accelerate the discovery of new, more effective treatments. [Follow company news on Twitter.com/PatientsLikeMe and http://blog.patientslikeme.com]