Angelique N. Collamer and Daniel F. Battafarano

Rheumatology Service, Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, USA.

Abstract

Etanercept is a dimeric recombinant soluble tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor protein utilized in the treatment of various inflammatory diseases, including ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. Etanercept binds the proinflammatory cytokine TNF and blocks its interaction with soluble TNF receptors, thus decreasing the infl ammatory response. Several randomized controlled clinical trials have demonstrated the effi cacy, safety and tolerability of etanercept in the treatment of both ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. These trials have also shown significant reductions in markers of systemic inflammation and improvements in patient-reported quality of life measures. Inhibition of radiographic progression has been established in etanercept-treated psoriatic arthritis patients, and ankylosing spondylitis patients have demonstrated decreases in bony inflammation; however, current data does not support a reduction in bone proliferation in ankylosing spondylitis patients. Concerns regarding long-term toxicity, efficacy, and cost-effectiveness considerations persist and guidelines have been published to assist the clinician with appropriate patient selection for this biologic therapy. Current data indicates etanercept therapy has been a very successful and well-tolerated therapy for numerous ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis patients and will likely continue to be a cornerstone therapy for treatment of these challenging diseases in the foreseeable future.