Etanercept/Enbrel – Wyeth (www.enbrel.com)

How does it work?

Enbrel is a fusion of two human proteins and it works by binding itself to the excess TNF cells and neutralising their negative effects on the skin.

How is it administered?

Patients inject themselves with a pre-filled 50mg/mL syringe once a week on the upper thigh or stomach.

What are the side effects?

Any drug that interferes with TNF has a risk factor as it protects the body naturally from tumours and infections. Therefore patients who have suffered from TB or other serious infections cannot be considered for treatment.

As it is self-administered, there is a risk of infection at injection site.

There is also a higher risk of bacterial respiratory infection, such as pneumonia and bronchitis.

However, these are short term side effects. The long term effects cannot be calculated until the drug has been widely used for many years across a large number of patients.

What are the results?

Enbrel is designed for both PA and plaque psoriasis. Clinical research shows 75% of psoriasis patients saw a 50% positive effect on plaques and 50% of these patients saw a 75% effect (approximate).

For PA patients, 38% saw a marked improvement after one month, 50% after three months with 42% overall seeing a significant difference at the six month mark.

Click here for a PHO member's experience of Enbrel