25 mg etanercept once weekly in rheumatoid arthritis and spondylarthropathy

ObjectiveTo assess the clinical results at 6 months of etanercept 25 mg once weekly (half-dose), and etanercept 25 mg twice weekly (full-dose), in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or spondylarthropathy.MethodsCase records of all patients treated by etanercept for at least 6 months in the same rheumatoloy unit were retrospectively studied, to assess the mean values of DAS-28 and BASDAI, just before (J0), and after 6 months (M6) of treatment, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or spondylarthropathy treated with etanercept 25 mg given either once or twice weekly.Results112 patients had been treated for at least 6 months (44 at half-dose, and 68 at full-dose). Values of DAS-28 or BASDAI both at J0 and M6 were available in 92 patients. DAS-28 dramatically improved both in the half-dose group (from 5.2 ± 0.8 to 3.5 ± 0.8) and in the full-dose group (from 5.5 ± 1.0 to 4.1 ± 1.0). BASDAI also strikingly improved both in the half-dose group (from 60 ± 13 to 25 ± 18), and in the full-dose group (from 58 ± 15 to 37 ± 23).ConclusionAlthough this was not a double-blind, prospective, randomised study, the strong improvement noticed in the half-dose group suggests that etanercept 25 mg once a week can induce major clinical and biological relief in some patients with RA or spondylarthropathy.