title: Sustained durability and tolerability of etanercept in ankylosing spondylitis for 96 weeks.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the continued safety and durability of clinical response in patients with ankylosing spondylitis receiving etanercept.
  
  
  METHODS
  277 patients who had participated in a previous randomised, double blind, placebo controlled 24 week trial were eligible to continue in this open label extension study. All patients who enrolled in the open label extension (n = 257) received subcutaneous etanercept 25 mg twice weekly for up to 72 weeks, for a combined 96 weeks of cumulative trial and open label experience. For the patients who had received etanercept for 24 weeks in the double blind trial, this represented almost 2 years of continuous etanercept treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients continuing etanercept treatment had a sustained response for almost 2 years, with 74% achieving an ASsessments in Ankylosing Spondylitis 20% (ASAS 20) response after 96 weeks of etanercept treatment. Patients who had received placebo in the preceding double blind trial had similar responses, with 70% of patients attaining an ASAS 20 response after 24 weeks of etanercept treatment and 78% achieving an ASAS 20 response after 72 weeks. Improved spinal mobility was seen in both groups. Etanercept was well tolerated in patients treated for up to 96 weeks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The subcutaneous administration of twice weekly doses of etanercept provided sustained durability of response in the improvement of signs and symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis for nearly 2 years.
authors.affiliation: University of California, San Francisco, 533 Parnassus Ave Rm U 383 Box 0633, San Francisco, California, USA. jdavis@medicine.ucsf.edu
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: van der Heijde
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dougados
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cush
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Clegg
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Inman
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kivitz
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Solinger
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tsuji
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D000068800:Etanercept; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013131:Spine / Q000503:physiopathology; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D018124:Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor; D000068800:Etanercept