Etanercept
Risk Factor: BM
Class: Immunologic agents
/ Immunomodulators
Contents of this page:
Fetal Risk Summary
Etanercept is a dimeric fusion protein, produced by recombinant DNA technology (Chinese hamster ovary mammalian cell expression system), consisting of the extracellular ligand-binding portion of the human kilodalton (p75) tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) linked to the Fc portion of human IgG1. The protein binds specifically to tumor necrosis factor, a cytokine involved in inflammatory and immune responses, to block its interaction with cell surface TNFRs (1,2). Etanercept is indicated for reducing the signs and symptoms and delaying structural damage in moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, including juvenile arthritis. The drug is administered by SC injection.
Reproduction studies in rats and rabbits at doses 60 to 100 times the human dose revealed no fetal harm (1,2). Animal fertility and carcinogenic studies have not been conducted with etanercept, but it was not mutagenic in in vitro and in vivo tests.
No reports describing the use of etanercept during human pregnancy have been located. One review of rheumatic disease therapy recommended that pregnancy should be excluded before etanercept was administered to women of childbearing age (3). The reviewer also recommended that effective contraception be used during treatment. Another review speculated that etanercept could disrupt pregnancy because of its anticytokine activity (4).
Breast Feeding Summary
No reports describing the use of etanercept during human lactation have been located. The effects of exposure to this protein on a nursing infant are unknown (4). Because etanercept is a protein, it most likely would be digested in the infants' stomach and not absorbed systemically.
References
- Product information. Enbrel. Immunex, 2001.
- Product information. Enbrel. Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals, 2001.
- Janssen NM, Genta MS. The effects of immunosuppressive and antiinflammatory medications on fertility, pregnancy, and lactation. Arch Intern Med 2000;160:6109.
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Jarvis B, Faulds D. Etanercept. A review of its use in rheumatoid arthritis. Drugs 1999;57:94566.
Questions and Answers
Anyone tried enbrel (etanercept) for treating rheumatoid arthritis?, What did you like/dislike about it? Did it help you? What were the side effects you experienced? How long did it take before feeling better?
my best friend is on it.
im graduate as a nurse soon, so she comes over to my place once a week to get the shot ( i give it to her)
the shot is VERY painfull she says. im not trying to scare you, but its a very thick consistency and she always is cringing and making weird faces and squeezing the life out of my roommates hand (she wont take the shot if my roomie isnt there to hold her hand) She has a pretty high pain tolerance and i hate having to be the one to do it to her cause it makes me feel like im doing something wrong, but its a very thick consistency which makes it more painfull.
she isnt allowed to get it if she is sick...like if she has a cold, she has to stop the enbrel.
good luck with it, i dont have to take it but from what i notice...its not fun but ont he good note, my best friend went into remission for a while when she was on it but just recently had to go back on it.
is etanercept (Enbrel) helpful in curing alzeimers disease.?,
There is still NO cure for Alzheimer's. The best that can be done is stopping/slowing the progress.
The Muse
Has anyone had any success with treating morphea with remicade or any other types of treatments like it?, Has anyone had any success with treating morphea with Remicade,Etanercept or any other types of treatments like it?
A little bit of success.
