BOSTON -- A new drug is being called a breakthrough treatment for psoriasis sufferers.

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Sufferer Looks Forward To Drug More On Amevive

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the drug Amevive to treat psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune disease that causes skin cells to multiply 10 times faster than normal.

"You don't go to the beach too often because people see you out there," psoriasis sufferer David Field said.

Rather than treat the itching and scales, Amevive goes deeper.

"With Amevive, we can very specifically inhibit immune cell function that is abnormal or overactive in psoriasis," Dr. Thomas Ruenger said.

The drug is not cheap. A three-month course of weekly injections costs from $7,000 to $10,000. But not only have more than one-third of patients cut their symptoms in half in clinical trials, the effects have lasted up to seven months.

Field hasn't tried Amevive yet, but he said he's glad there's another option.

"I think anybody with psoriasis is willing to try just about anything to get rid of it," he said.

Many doctors said they were excited about Amevive, but they remained cautious because of the cost. As for insurance companies, several contacted said they would pay for the drug if a doctor requested it.

Psoriasis affects between 1 and 2 percent of the United States population, or as many as 5.5 million people, according to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.