RESEARCH - Decreased flares of RA during the first year of Enbrel treatment

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ls of the Rheumatic Diseases 2002;61:638-640

© 2002 by ls of the Rheumatic Diseases

CONCISE REPORT

Decreased flares of rheumatoid arthritis during the first year of

etanercept treatment: further evidence of clinical effectiveness in the

" real world "

Y Yazici, D Erkan, I Kulman, K Belostocki and M J on

Division of Rheumatology, The Hospital for Special Surgery, Weill

Medical College of Cornell University, New York, USA

ABSTRACT

Objective: To determine the incidence of disease flare during the first

year of etanercept treatment for 88 patients with rheumatoid arthritis

(RA) and compare it with the incidence of flare in those same patients

in the year before etanercept use.

Methods: The outpatient clinic charts of all patients with RA who were

prescribed etanercept in or before September 1999, who also had at least

one year's follow up in the same outpatient clinic, were surveyed. The

primary outcome measure was the number of disease flares in one year

before and after etanercept use. The secondary outcome measures included

the number of patients who did and did not flare, how flares were

treated, and the drug alterations that were necessary during the same

two time intervals.

Results: The total number of flares for all patients in the year before

etanercept treatment was 214 (mean (SD) 2.43 (1.75)). The number of

flares in the first year of etanercept treatment decreased to 83 (mean

0.94 (1.07)) (p<0.0001). The total number of patients who had at least

one flare in the year before etanercept use was 80; eight had no flares.

In their first year of etanercept treatment, 50 patients had at least

one flare; 38 had no flares (p<0.0001). Twenty one patients (24%)

stopped using etanercept before completing one year's treatment.

Conclusion: This study of patients with RA in the " real world " shows

that etanercept is effective in reducing the number of RA flares.

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Mayo Clinic in Rochester

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