Global Enbrel study supports previous findings
First posted July 1, 2003
Researchers presented new evidence for Enbrel's use in moderate to severe psoriasis at the International Psoriasis Symposium in New York in late June. Enbrel is a biologic currently approved for psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
The presentation focused on an additional phase III study involving 583 patients in 50 centers worldwide. Patients were given 50 milligrams (mg) of Enbrel twice weekly, 25 mg twice weekly or placebo. After twelve weeks, half of those given 50 mg and more than one third of those given 25 mg improved by 75 percent.
"A significant number of patients experienced rapid improvement in as quickly as two weeks" after beginning treatment, said Kim Papp, M.D., of Probity Medical Research in Waterloo, Canada.
The response in the first 12 weeks of this study is nearly identical to a study presented by Alice Gottlieb, M.D., Ph.D., at the American Academy of Dermatology in late March 2003.
In that study, which went on for 24 weeks, nearly 60 percent of patients receiving 50 mg twice weekly achieved 75 percent improvement after 6 months, as did more than one third receiving 25 mg twice weekly. The 24-week data for the study Dr. Papp presented is not yet available.
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