Along with psoriatic arthritis, Enbrel's effectiveness in treating psoriasis also was tracked in the phase III study. Early results are positive, but the company is awaiting more definitive answers from an ongoing phase II study, which is looking specifically at treating psoriasis with the medication. However, there is too much TNF-alpha in people with certain types of arthritis, which leads to the inflammation around joints. Enbrel binds to TNF-alpha molecules and renders them inactive, thereby stopping the inflammatory processes. Enbrel is given twice per week as an injection under the skin.
Patients can self-inject the medication.
The NPF has heard successful anecdotal reports, and small studies have also shown positive results. At three months, psoriatic arthritis had measurably improved in 87 percent of patients treated with Enbrel, compared to 23 percent treated with placebo. For more information To learn more about psoriatic arthritis and its treatments, go the NPF's Web pages on psoriatic arthritis and psoriatic arthritis therapies . Also, people interested in trying Enbrel should know that the drug is in high demand and limited supply right now. There may be a wait before new patients can begin treatment due to production constraints.