Rheumatoid Arthritis Symptoms Eased by New Drug, Study Shows

A new drug called etanercept can dramatically reduce the painful symptoms experienced by the more than 2 million Americans who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, according to a study in today’s New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston gave 89 volunteers who suffered from long-term rheumatoid arthritis twice-weekly injections of the drug or a placebo in addition to their regular methotrexate treatments.

Thirty-nine percent of the etanercept (trade name Enbrel) recipients showed a 50% improvement of their symptoms, but only 3% of those taking the placebo showed a similar degree of “rapid and sustained” relief. At the start of the 24-week study, the typical patient reported 28 tender joints and 18 swollen joints. By the end, those who had received both drugs reported only seven tender joints and six swollen joints.

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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II