Study: Etanercept Useful Backup Treatment for Rheumatoid, Juvenile Arthritis

The drug etanercept can be a useful backup treatment for rheumatoid and juvenile chronic arthritis when other drugs fail, according to a study reported in the August issue of Prescrire International.

Currently, no backup treatment exists for patients with rheumatoid and juvenile chronic arthritis if they fail to respond or cannot tolerate slow-acting antirheumatic drugs like methotrexate.

By analyzing previous clinical trials, researchers tried to determine
whether etanercept, a TNF inhibitor, would be effective and safe in
rheumatoid and juvenile chronic arthritis patients. TNF inhibitors are
attractive drugs for these types of arthritis because they target specific areas within the immune system instead of affecting the entire immune system.

The researchers found that etanercept worked faster than methotrexate, but there was no significant difference between the two treatments after two years. They also found that etanercept, when it worked, remained active for at least seven months in patients with juvenile chronic arthritis who did not respond to methotrexate.

The researchers acknowledged that long-term studies involving large numbers of patients are needed to determine the precise risk of side effects in patients who use etanercept.

"In practice, methotrexate remains the first-line treatment for inflammatory arthritis. Etanercept can be a useful second-line treatment, especially in juvenile chronic arthritis," concluded the researchers.

Other sources:Prescrire International