Updated September 2007- Enbrel, also known as etanercept, is an antirheumatic manufactured by Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of American Home Products Corporation. The drug is used to relieve
joint swelling, pain, tiredness and other symptoms associated with rheumatoid
arthritis. The FDA approved Enbrel in November 1999. According to its manufacturer, at least 70,000 people have taken Enbrel since its approval. In July 2003, the FDA approved Enbrel for the treatment of patients with active ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a chronic inflammatory disease affecting primarily the lower back and joints.
Recently, the FDA announced that at least six people taking Enbrel had died and some twenty-four others had been hospitalized. Some of those affected suffered from
sepsis. Accordingly, the FDA required Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals to supplement Enbrel's label to indicate the infection risk associated with the drug.
In February 2002, researchers at Rush Medical College in Chicago revealed that Enbrel may be associated with the development of
lupus.
In August 2003, the FDA approved Enbrel for the treatment of bone and joint damage associated with psoriatic arthritis.
In 2007, the
Institute for Safe Medication Practices and the Division of Public Health
Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, conducted a longitudinal
Adverse Events Reporting System Review of the U.S.
FDA's
most dangerous drugs.
The study found Enbrel to be one of the most
dangerous drugs on the market with some of the highest number of
suspect drug
deaths. Enbrel was the tenth deadliest drug in the study, according to the FDA
reports. Over the eight years of the dangerous drug study, Enbrel was found to
have over 1,000 deaths in an 8-year period.
Enbrel was also listed as the ninth most dangerous drug for serious medical outcomes requiring treatment or resulting in disability, according to the FDA reports review.
Enbrel and lawsuits: See your doctor if you have experienced serious side effects associated with Enbrel. In addition, it may be important to
contact an attorney who can help you protect your legal rights. Please keep in mind that there may be
time limits within which you must commence suit.
See Also
- Arthritis Drugs
- Anemia
- Demyelination: Overview
- Lupus: Overview
- Lymphoma
- Multiple Sclerosis: Overview
- Optic Neuritis: Overview
- Sepsis