Wyeth announces new Enbrel findings

Amgen and Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, have announced the findings of a retrospective analysis showing that Enbrel (etanercept) significantly lowers the levels of c-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

CRP is a marker of inflammation and median reduction of the protein was ten times greater in the patient group treated with Enbrel when compared to those treated with placebo.

The company presented these results at the scientific meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in San Antonio, Texas, earlier this week.

Additionally, the company revealed that patients had intermediate to high baseline levels of CRP, which shows that psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory disease.

Bruce Strober, co-director of the Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis Centre of New York University Medical Centre, said: “The finding that patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis had increased inflammation, as exhibited by elevated CRP levels, reinforces that psoriasis is not only a skin disease, but in some patients may be a serious medical condition.”

He added that the study results were encouraging as they showed that Enbrel reduced the symptoms of patients with psoriasis while also lowering their CRP levels, while he called for further research on whether the reduction of this protein reducing the risk of other systemic inflammatory diseases, like cardiovascular disease.

Last month, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and Amgen reported phase III trial data showing the efficacy of Enbrel in treating moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adolescents and children.