The care of patients living with psoriasis in Latin America represents many unique challenges due to lack of knowledge on the burden of psoriasis in this region and limited access to care. IPC’s working group assembles regional experts to highlight these issues on an international stage, bringing influence and awareness to dermatologists throughout the region.
Determine priorities and issues specific to Latin America, including access to care, education, and comorbidities.
Contribute to the Global Psoriasis Atlas.
The International Psoriasis Council (IPC) is continuing efforts to focus and enrich the knowledge and advancement of care of patients with psoriasis in Latin America. Since 2011, IPC has fostered psoriasis leadership in the region, conducted educational programs, and examined issues specific to Latin America, such as limited healthcare resources and limited access to biologics. The working group conducts educational symposia at major congresses in Latin America and publishes manuscripts on important clinical issues in the region.
Claudia de la Cruz, MD Clinica Dermacross Santiago, Chile IPC Secretary
Claudia De la Cruz, MD, is a dermatologist in Santiago, Chile. She earned her degree at Universidad De Chile and was an Assistant Professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile between 2005 and 2013. Dr. de la Cruz is the Founder and Director of Clínica Dermacross since 2010 in Santiago. She has served on the Board of Directors of the International Psoriasis Council since 2017 and is a regional coordinator for Latin America for the Global Psoriasis Atlas project. Her focus has been in working for psoriasis in her country through the Chilean Society of Dermatology, at the beginning of her career, and then for Latin America, where she has lead the IPC Latin American working group together with Ricardo Romiti from Brazil.She is International Scientific Advisory Board member for Pso Protect. In her role as regional coordinator for Latin America for the Global Psoriasis Atlas, she has focused on collecting information on the incidence of psoriasis in Latin America, helping to build a net of experts through the region. She has helped raise awareness and improve access to treatment in the region, evaluating the different barriers to access in Latin America and other underserved areas in the world. She has also worked in education at the IPC, first on the International Fellowship program, that helps train new leaders in the psoriasis field, and currently as chair of the Masterclass Steering Committee.
Last Updated: Jan 26, 2022
Ricardo Romiti, MD, PhD University of São Paulo Brazil São Paulo, Brazil IPC Board Member
Ricardo Romiti, MD, Ph.D., is responsible for the Psoriasis unit at the Department of Dermatology of the University of São Paulo, Brazil, and works as a Clinical Professor of Dermatology also at the University of São Paulo. Having gained his medical degree from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo, where he also completed his residency in the Department of Dermatology. Professor Romiti is currently a Board member of the International Psoriasis Council, a member of GRAPPA and the Latin American Society of Psoriasis (SOLAPSO), and Editor of the Brazilian Consensus of Psoriasis of the Brazilian Society of Dermatology. Besides, he has authored or co-authored numerous papers published in national and international dermatology journals and is the Editor of five books with a focus on psoriasis.
Last Updated: Feb 23, 2022
Cristina Echeverría, MD Instituto de Rehabilitación Psicofísica (IREP) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dr. Echeverría is a medical doctor at IREP (Instituto de Rehabilitación Psicofísica) in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She received a medical degree (Hon) at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA). Three years later, she completed her Internal Medicine Residency at CEMIC (Centro de Educación Médica e Investigaciones Clínicas). She earned a degree in Dermatology from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA) where she currently serves as an assistant professor in dermatology. Dr. Echeverría was a visiting doctor at Baylor University Houston, Texas. She has been a long time supporter of the Sociedad Latinoamericana de Psoriasis (SOLAPSO) and is currently the President of SOARPSO (Sociedad Argentina de Psoriasis). She is an Editorial member of the International Journal of Women´s Dermatology, Coordinator of the ECHO Psoriasis Project Argentina and ECHO Atopic Dermatitis Project Argentina.
Last Updated: Jan 21, 2020
de la Cruz C, de Carvalho AV, Dorantes GL, Londoño Garcia AM, Gonzalez C, Maskin M, Podoswa N, Redfern JS, Valenzuela F, van der Walt J, Romiti R. J Dermatol. 2017 Jan;44(1):3-12. doi: 10.1111/1346-8138.13512. 27461455, Epub 2016 Jul 27.
Abstract
Latin American countries view biosimilar agents as an effective approach to curtail health-care expenditures while maintaining the safety and efficacy profile of their branded innovator comparators. To understand the complexities of the regulatory landscape and key therapeutic issues for use of biosimilars to treat moderate to severe psoriasis in Latin America, the International Psoriasis Council convened dermatology experts from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Mexico in October 2015 to review the definition, approval, marketing and future of biosimilars in each country and develop a consensus statement. The regulatory framework for marketing approval of biosimilars in Latin America is currently a mosaic of disparate, country-specific, regulatory review processes, rules and standards, with considerable heterogeneity in clarity and specificity. Regulations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico have undergone multiple refinements whereas Colombia is finalizing draft guidelines. Verification of the similarity in quality, safety and efficacy of biosimilars to the innovator biologic remains a key challenge for policy makers and regulatory authorities. Other key regulatory challenges include: naming of agents and traceability, pharmacovigilance, extrapolation of indications, and interchangeability and substitution. An urgent need exists for more Latin American countries to establish national psoriasis registries and to integrate their common components into a multinational psoriasis network, thereby enhancing their interpretative power and impact. A Latin American psoriasis network similar to PSONET in Europe would assist health-care providers, pharmaceutical companies, regulators and patients to fully comprehend specific products being prescribed and dispensed and to identify potential regional trends or differences in safety or outcomes.
Link to full publication