Enbrel Seen Helping Hepatitis C Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Chronic hepatitis C patients who also suffer from rheumatoid arthritis appear to respond favorably and without side effects, including changes in enzyme levels, when treated with Enbrel (etanercept), according to researchers in St. Louis.

In a small study of four patients with chronic hepatitis C, the researchers treated the patients with Enbrel for up to 17 months.

Each had failed to respond to at least two disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs), and each was receiving non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Enzyme levels were monitored every four to eight weeks during treatment.

Presenting at the European Congress of Rheumatology, the researchers said all patients improved with etanercept, adding that the treatment did not cause any side effects among these high-risk patients.

"Further controlled and long-term prospective studies with etanercept in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients with chronic hepatitis C infection are needed," they concluded.

Other sources: European Congress of Rheumatology