Report: Arthritis Patients Develop Lupus Symptons After Taking Enbrel

Four female rheumatoid arthritis patients have developed symptoms of the autoimmune disease, lupus erythematosus (SLE), after taking the drug Enbrel (etanercept), according to researchers at Rush Medical College in Chicago, Illinois.

Enbrel inhibits tumor necrosis factor (TNF), an immune system protein that is produced in excess in the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

When the patients were taken off the drug, their symptoms (reddening of the face and body rash) promptly abated, the researchers reported in The Lancet.

There are several forms of lupus, a disease that can vary in severity and can damage the kidneys, heart, lungs and brain.

According to Immunex officials, the possibility of developing symptoms of lupus when taking Enbrel, a very rare side effect, was noted in the information given to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and is part of the labeling of the drug.

Researchers speculate that TNF may play a protective role against SLE.

Other sources: The Lancet