BioTek reMEDys Promotes Awareness and Education for Pemphigoid

NEW CASTLE, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In honor of February 9^th being National Pemphigoid Patient Education Day, BioTek reMEDys, one of the nation’s largest independent specialty infusion pharmacies focused on rare diseases, is calling for enhanced education and awareness of the condition.

Pemphigoid is a group of subepidermal, blistering autoimmune diseases that primarily affect the skin, especially the lower abdomen, groin, and flexor surfaces of the extremities. The condition tends to persist for months or years with periods of exacerbation and remission. These diseases can be associated with the presence of other autoimmune disorders such as psoriasis and multiple sclerosis. They most typically effect patients 60 years of age and older but can be seen in patients of any age.

There are two predominant types of pemphigoid: bullous pemphigoid (BP) and mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP, also called cicatricial pemphigoid). Pathogenesis and management are quite different for these conditions. Scar formation in mucous membrane pemphigoid can lead to major disability.

BioTek reMEDys is urging its colleagues, patients, and the population at large to become more aware and help drive awareness to these often-underdiagnosed conditions.

“These diseases can include multiple variants and are therefore very difficult to identify,” said Andrew Babb, PharmD, CSP, IgCP, BioTek reMEDys’ Pharmacist in Charge. “Some patients may have to be evaluated by several physicians before arriving at a correct diagnosis. At BioTek reMEDys we are proud to be one of the very few organizations today that services the pemphigoid community through our specialty infusion services.”

“Bullous pemphigoid and Mucous membrane pemphigoid can have an extremely significant impact on a patient’s quality of life,” said Babb. “In the most severe cases, these conditions can result in life-altering or life-threatening disability. BP and MMP can resolve on their own or require aggressive forms of treatment over the course of multiple years to effectively control. In that time frame, the physical and emotional toll on a patient can be substantial. Education and awareness are key to early detection and effective treatment, which can help heal the blisters or lesions on the skin that these patients can suffer from. Proper treatment will also help to ease the associated symptoms like redness, itching, difficulty eating or swallowing, cough, and nose bleeds. Our hope is that patients and their care teams will make their voices heard via social media to help expand the awareness and understanding of pemphigoid. The most hopeful outcome is that it will help shorten the time between symptom onset, diagnosis, and treatment.”

BioTek reMEDys is encouraging the general public to visit the International Pemphigus & Pemphigoid patient education web page to learn more about the condition and explore other ways to support those living with pemphigoid.

BioTek reMEDys provides therapy-specific patient education materials and its National Customer Support Center is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to help patients and their loved ones manage critical aspects of care. By servicing very specific disease states such as pemphigoid, BioTek reMEDys’ expert team can maintain its focus on patient care – making sure that dosages and treatments are appropriate.

Founded in 2011, BioTek reMEDys, based in New Castle, DE, has become one of the nation’s largest independent infusion pharmacies focused on home infusion. Chai Gadde opened the pharmacy to meet the specific needs of patients who require specialty medications. BioTek reMEDys and its affiliates are now licensed to operate in all 50 states. For information visit www.biotekrx.com.