Enbrel Approved for Expanded Use in Treating Psoriatic Arthritis

The drug Enbrel® (etanercept) can has received approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for expanded use in treatment of psoriatic arthritis, and can now claim that it inhibits the progression of structural damage.

Enbrel received approval earlier this year for "reducing the signs and symptoms" of psoriatic arthritis as well as rheumatoid arthritis. The drug is the first and only TNF inhibitor to receive such approvals.

The expanded approval for Enbrel is based on the drug's performance in a large phase 3 clinical trial involving 205 patients with active psoriatic arthritis.

In that trial, Enbrel showed that it could inhibit joint damage over a one-year study period, while x-rays of patients receiving a placebo showed progressive joint destruction.

The side effects experienced by the Enbrel group were similar to those who took a placebo.

Other sources: Amgen