Enbrel waiting list

[Guest guest]

So my insurance authorized the Enbrel, but now I'm told that there is a

waiting list and that it could take up to a year to actually receive the

drug!! I know that a few months ago there was a real back-up in production

and lots of people were having trouble getting their dosage. But my doctor

seemed to think that that problem was over.

Has anyone had a problem getting Enbrel? and keeping up with their dosage? I

think I might just go with Remicade. I would hate to think that from month to

month you don't know whether or not your drug is going to be available.

gloria

[Guest guest]

Hi Gloria, I'm not on Enbrel but below is an article about it. I received it on another RA list. You might want to contact the manufacturer.

Dec 12, 2002 Etanercept supplies increase as manufacturing improvesThousand Oaks, CA - The TNF-blocker etanercept (Enbrel®, Amgen and Wyeth),which has been in short supply, is now being offered to more than 40 000patients on the Enbrel Prospective Patient List. In a press release, Amgensays: "We have experienced improved efficiencies at the current Enbrelmanufacturing facility that have helped us to make this large-scale offeringof supply to patients [1]."The product has been hampered by supply problems ever since it was launched,but the shortage became particularly acute during this past year, asreported on rheumawire. The increased supply will now allow new patients totry etanercept; until recently, the manufacturer was concentrating onmaintaining supplies of the drug to patients already established on thetherapy. (The manufacturer was originally Immunex, but it was acquired byAmgen last year; the product is marketed by Wyeth.)Etanercept is approved for use in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), juvenile RA,and psoriatic arthritis. The company emphasizes that it is the only biologicapproved for use in newly diagnosed RA patients and can be used alone. Also,it notes that results from a recent clinical trialwhich the company intendsto present at a future scientific meetingshow that etanercept administeredas a 50-mg dose subcutaneously once weekly demonstrated similar efficacy,tolerability, and pharmacokinetics to that of 25 mg administered twiceweekly. Zosia Chustecka

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“The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun. It's the one that stands in the open where it is compelled to struggle for existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.” (Napoleon Hill)

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>Has anyone had a problem getting Enbrel? and keeping up with their dosage? I >think I might just go with Remicade. I would hate to think that from month to >month you don't know whether or not your drug is going to be available. > >gloria

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