Where were you diagnosed with psoriasis?
Have you been referred to a Dermatological Clinic of the Department of Health?
What was the last treatment you had?
Are you satisfied with the results of phototherapy?
Are you satisfied with the results of ointments?
Are you satisfied with the results of oral medication?
Are you currently attending any consultation services at Queen Mary Hospital or Prince of Wales Hospital?
If your condition changes, you can discuss the need for specialist treatment with your general practitioner:
Private healthcare system
- Private dermatologists can provide different treatment options according to the needs of patients.
- If you need biologic treatment but face financial issues, you can contact the Hong Kong Psoriasis Patients Association for further information, or ask St. James’ Settlement Philanthropic Community Pharmacy for details on the “Psoriasis Patient Medical Assistance Programme (trans.)”.
Public healthcare system
- You can also ask your private general practitioner to send you a referral letter and bring it with you to a dermatological clinic under the Department of Health for a new appointment.
- When choosing a dermatology clinic, you can refer to the waiting time for new patients at each clinic.
- At government dermatological clinics, referral to government biologic therapy outpatient service is possible if:
-
- Patients clinically diagnosed with severe psoriasis
- Received two or more types of oral medications with poor response (ie, less than 50% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) after at least 6 months of treatment) or unable to continue treatment due to side effects
- No contraindication to biological treatment, including latent tuberculosis infection which requires mandatory screening
In Hong Kong, there are many different types of biologics, and the number of injections required for each biologic is different!
Drug cost calculation
Monthly drug cost = price per injection x number of injections per year / 12 months
Medication subsidies
Private healthcare system
If you have financial considerations, you may contact the Hong Kong Psoriasis Patients Association for further information or St. James’ Settlement Philanthropic Community Pharmacy for details on the “Psoriasis Patient Medical Assistance Programme (trans.)”.
Public healthcare system
Under biologic treatment within the public healthcare system, the Samaritan Fund provides financial assistance to patients in need of the following medicines:
-
- Adalimumab
- Etanercept
- Guselkumab
- Infliximab
- Ixekizumab
- Risankizumab
- Secukinumab
- Ustekinumab
Please contact a medical social worker for more information
Financial assessment calculator
If you intend to apply for the Samaritan Fund, you can use this financial assessment calculator to preliminarily assess whether you or your family’s financial situation is eligible for the application.
Congratulations! You don't need to consider other treatment options for now!
Phototherapy and ointments are topical treatments for milder conditions. If the effect of treatment wears off over time, systemic treatments may be required, in which oral medications or biologics are used to alter the response of the entire autoimmune system.
Want to know about other treatment options?
ointments(ointments, salves, gels, lotions and shampoos)
Mainly contains steroids, vitamin D, salicylic acid and tar and so on. Topical use can slow excess skin growth or reduce inflammation, and is suitable for milder conditions.
phototherapy
Uses fluorescent tubes emit ultraviolet light (UV-A or UV-B), which slows down skin growth. The effect of phototherapy is good, and compared with oral medications, it has less impact on human health. Patients need to go to the clinic for treatment three times a week.
oral medications
Oral immunosuppressive drugs suppress the immune system, and patients need regular blood tests to make sure they don’t have side effects.
biologics
Biologics work by suppressing specific immune cells that cause psoriasis. Biologics do not suppress the entire immune system.
Phototherapy and ointments are suitable for milder conditions. When the condition is not under control, sometimes oral medications or biologics may be required to alter the response of the entire autoimmune system.
Private healthcare system
- Private dermatologists can provide different treatment options according to the needs of patients.
- If you have financial considerations, you may contact the Hong Kong Psoriasis Patients Association for further information or St. James’ Settlement Philanthropic Community Pharmacy for details on the “Psoriasis Patient Medical Assistance Programme (trans.)”.
Public healthcare system
- At government dermatological clinics, referral to government biologic therapy outpatient service is possible if:
-
- Patients clinically diagnosed with severe psoriasis
- Received two or more types of oral medications with poor response (ie, less than 50% improvement in Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) after at least 6 months of treatment) or unable to continue treatment due to side effects
- No contraindication to biological treatment, including latent tuberculosis infection which requires mandatory screening
- If a patient is diagnosed with psoriasis and prescribed biologic treatment, but the patient is facing financial problems, he or she can contact a medical social worker for an application and financial assessment to determine whether he or she meets the requirements of the Samaritan Fund.
When oral medications are not as effective, you can discuss with your doctor whether biological treatment is right for you.
In government dermatological clinics, patients clinically diagnosed with severe psoriasis who have received two or more types of oral medications but did not respond well can be referred to government biologic therapy outpatient service for biologic treatment.
Medication subsidies
If a patient has been diagnosed with psoriasis and prescribed biologics, whether under the public or private healthcare system, and the patient is facing financial problems, he or she can apply for the drug subsidy programme:
Private healthcare system
Contact the Hong Kong Psoriasis Patients Association for further information or St. James’ Settlement Philanthropic Community Pharmacy for details on the “Psoriasis Patient Medical Assistance Programme (trans.)”
Public healthcare system
Contact medical social worker for application and financial assessment to determine if you meet the requirements of Samaritan Fund
The dermatology departments at Queen Mary Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital offer different treatment options, including biological treatment.
As you are receiving any consultation services in these two hospitals, where necessary, you can ask the doctor providing consultation services to you to give a referral to the dermatology department of the same hospital to follow up on psoriasis.
Of course, you can also consider private healthcare services:
Private healthcare system
- Private dermatologists can provide different treatment options according to the needs of patients.
- If you need biologic treatment but face financial problems, you can contact the Hong Kong Psoriasis Patients Association for further information, or ask St. James’ Settlement Philanthropic Community Pharmacy for details on the “Psoriasis Patient Medical Assistance Programme (trans.)”.