In a publication by Mease etal (Lancet 356:385-390, 2000), the safety and efficacy of etanercept was compared to placebo in patients with psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis in a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Patients received either placebo (n=30) or etanercept (25 mg twice weekly, s.c., n=30) and improvement was assessed using the Psoriatic Arthritis Response Criteria (PsARC), the American College of Rheumatology 20% Improvement Criteria (ACR20), the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), the improvement in prospectively-identified individual target lesions.
87% of patients receiving etanercept met the PsARC compared with 23% of patients receiving placebo. ACR20 was achieved in 37% of patients treated with etanercept compared with 13% treated with placebo. 19 patients in each treatment group were assessed for improvement in psoriasis. The median PASI improvement was 46% in patients treated with etanercept versus 9% in patients receiving placebo, while median target lesion improvements were 50% and 0, respectively.
The results of this randomized trial confirm the short-term efficacy of etanercept in treating psoriatic arthritis and psoriasis.
Receive the Latest News from Johns Hopkins Rheumatology
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from Johns Hopkins Rheumatology.