IFPA Highlights Patient Voices in Global Health Policy at UN Panel
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The International Federation of Psoriatic Disease Associations (IFPA) spotlighted psoriatic disease as a systemic noncummicable disease (NCD) during a UN side event.
IFPA's “Stop the Domino Effect” campaign calls on world and health leaders for patient-centered policy inclusion.
The International Federation of Psoriatic Disease Associations (IFPA) issued a call to global policymakers to recognize psoriatic disease as a serious noncommunicable disease (NCD) with system-wide implications at the 80th UN General Assembly in New York.
According to a press release, IFPA partnered with Devex to host a panel discussion titled “Stop the Domino Effect,” emphasizing the compounding burden of psoriatic disease and its associations with mental health conditions, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
“Psoriatic disease is often mistaken as cosmetic, but it is a complex, systemic NCD,” said IFPA Executive Director Frida Dunger, during the panel.
Panelist and IFPA Ambassador Kate Reynolds offered a personal account of living with generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP), describing a severe flare that left 70% of her skin damaged and required a prolonged hospital stay. Reynolds criticized insurance systems that delay or deny access to effective treatments in favor of low-cost options with potentially harmful outcomes.
“You can’t just treat one part of a person,” she said. “You have to treat the whole person”.
Dunger noted that timely, effective treatment can prevent complications and reduce the broader health and economic burden. More than 80% of people with psoriatic disease report stigma, and nearly half experience anxiety, according to IFPA data. The organization’s campaign urges health systems to move from rhetoric to action.
The panel concluded with a clear message to world leaders to integrate psoriasis into the NCD policy framework to ensure equitable, holistic, and sustainable care systems for all. The panel was recorded and can be viewed on YouTube.
Source: IFPA press release. September 25 2025.