From: Rheumawire, February, 2004

A treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) consisting of biweekly injections of the drug etanercept has been found to be just as effective when done once a week at twice the dosage.

An Amgen-sponsored study revealed that using one 50-mg etanercept injection a week created comparative results as two 25-mg injections a week with no major differences in adverse events or side effects. Said Dr. Edward C Keystone, “[Weekly dosing] would substantially improve the convenience of use for patients with inflammatory arthritis who self-administer etanercept subcutaneously.”

In the July / August 2004 edition of Spondylitis Plus, We have a detailed overview of the TNF-a blockers. Excerpt: "Enbrel, Humira and Remicade are biologics or biologic response modifiers (BRM), Biologics got their name because they are made biologically from living cells..." Click here to view the issue in our Spondylitis Plus archive in the Member Area. Not a member? Then Click here to join and receive your subscription.