RESEARCH - Enbrel safety and efficacy

April 14, 2009

J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2009 Apr;23(4):402-5.

Etanercept: efficacy and safety.

Jiménez-Puya R, Gómez-García F, Amorrich-Campos V, Moreno-Giménez JC.

Service of Dermatology, University Hospital of Cordoba, Cordoba, Spain.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of etanercept in the

treatment of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

METHODS: An observational, longitudinal, and retrospective study

involving two groups of dose of treatment with etanercept (50 vs. 100

mg/week). The selected patients presented moderate to severe plaque

psoriasis, and they had received treatment with the mentioned drug. A

total of 58 patients were included in the study. The efficacy of the

drug was evaluated by measuring the psoriasis area and severity index

(PASI), body surface area (BSA) and physician's global assessment

(PGA) in weeks 8, 16, 24, 32, 40 and 48.

RESULTS: A statistically significant improvement was observed in the

PASI, BSA and PGA indexes after 24 and 48 weeks of therapy. As for

PASI, and after 48 weeks of treatment, PASI 50, 75 and 90 were 100.0%,

92.3% and 69.2%, respectively. In our series, etanercept 50 mg/week

reached the same results after 48 weeks as etanercept 100 mg/week,

though the initial response was faster in the last group. The PASI,

BSA and PGA indexes diminished significantly with the treatment,

though without statistically significant differences between both

groups. As for the safety, etanercept was well tolerated, and no

serious adverse events were recorded. There were no cases of

tuberculosis or opportunistic infections.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study confirms the efficacy and safety outcomes of

the clinical trials of etanercept in psoriasis with both doses of

treatment. As for the safety, etanercept was well tolerated, and all

the recorded adverse events coincided with the known potential

side-effects of treatment.

PMID: 19210697

Not an MD

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