RESEARCH - Outcomes of patients with RA after switching from Remicade to Enbrel

[Guest guest]

J Rheumatol. 2004 Dec;31(12):2356-9.

Clinical outcomes of patients with rheumatoid arthritis after switching

from infliximab to etanercept.

Haraoui B, Keystone EC, Thorne JC, Pope JE, Chen I, Asare CG, Leff JA.

Centre Hospitalier de l'Universite de Montreal, Montreal, Quebec,

Canada.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and monitor serious adverse events in

patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) switching treatment from

infliximab to etanercept. METHODS: Adult patients with active RA who

were discontinuing treatment with infliximab were eligible to enroll in

this prospective, 12-week, open label, single-arm, observational study.

Four to 10 weeks after their last infusion of infliximab, patients began

treatment with etanercept (twice weekly subcutaneous injections of 25

mg). Clinical assessments using the American College of Rheumatology

(ACR) criteria for improvement were performed at baseline and at Weeks 6

and 12, and serious adverse events were monitored throughout the study.

RESULTS: Twenty-five patients were enrolled, 18 of whom had discontinued

infliximab because of lack of efficacy, and 22 completed 12 weeks of

etanercept treatment. After 12 weeks, 14 of 22 patients (64%) achieved

at least a 20% improvement in ACR criteria (ACR20), 13 (59%) experienced

improvements in physical function that were considered clinically

important (>/= 0.22 point decrease in overall Health Assessment

Questionnaire score), and mean values of all individual components of

the ACR criteria had improved. No serious adverse events were reported

during the study and no patient discontinued because of lack of

efficacy.

CONCLUSION: Etanercept, a soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor,

provided a well tolerated and effective treatment option for some

patients even when infliximab, a monoclonal antibody to TNF, had been

ineffective.

PMID: 15570634

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org