Amgen Resolves Enbrel Supply Issue
First posted Dec. 19, 2002
People with psoriatic arthritis may now receive Enbrel, Amgen recently announced, after the company resolved a supply issue that required at least 40,000 people to be placed on a waiting list to receive the drug.
Enbrel, already approved for rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, became the first approved drug for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis in January 2002. No new patients have been able to receive the drug, however, because Enbrel's plant in Germany manufactured a smaller than expected supply of the drug. People who had already been taking the drug continued to receive it.
In a press release, an Amgen representative said, "We have experienced improved efficiencies at the current Enbrel manufacturing facility that have helped enable us to make this large-scale offering of supply to patients."
The company offered Enbrel to the 40,000 people on the waiting list earlier this month and reports that new patients can expect to receive their prescription within a few days. Also, the company predicts a new plant in Rhode Island will ensure a steady supply of Enbrel for new patients. The plant is expected to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration early next year.
Prior to being prescribed Enbrel, people are still required to join an enrollment program; enrolling means receiving forms to verify insurance coverage and that a physician must also sign. The number for the program is (888) 436-2735.
| 
