Anti-TNF drug 'safe and useful' for polymyalgia rheumatica patients

Researchers have suggested that anti-TNF drug etanercept is safe and effective at treating patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). Italian scientists from Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova published the results of their study in the journal Arthritis Care & Research.

The pilot study involved six patients with relapsing PMR who had not been able to reduce their doses of synthetic corticosteroid prednisone and had suffered side effects, including osteoporotic vertebral fractures.In the study, injections of etanercept were given twice weekly for 24 weeks.

The team found that all six patients given the etanercept experienced sustained remission and were able to significantly reduce their median prednisone daily dosage without experiencing a disease relapse.

As a result, Dr Carlo Salvarani and the rest of the team concluded: "These results, which should be confirmed in a controlled study, suggest that etanercept may be a safe and useful corticosteroid-sparing agent in relapsing PMR."

An Arthritis Research Campaign spokeswoman said: "Relapsing PMR is very difficult to treat effectively, and etancept may offer a really useful new treatment option."