RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Clinical Efficacy of Etanercept Versus Sulfasalazine in Ankylosing Spondylitis Subjects with Peripheral Joint Involvement
JF The Journal of Rheumatology
JO J Rheumatol
FD The Journal of Rheumatology
SP 836
OP 840
DO 10.3899/jrheum.110885
VO 39
IS 4
A1 JÜRGEN BRAUN
A1 KAREL PAVELKA
A1 CESAR RAMOS-REMUS
A1 ALEKSANDAR DIMIC
A1 BONNIE VLAHOS
A1 BRUCE FREUNDLICH
A1 ANDREW S. KOENIG
YR 2012
UL http://www.jrheum.org/content/39/4/836.abstract
AB Objective. Etanercept, a fully human tumor necrosis factor soluble receptor, is effective in treatment of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Current guidelines suggest sulfasalazine (SSZ) treatment as initial therapy for the management of patients with AS with peripheral arthritis versus therapy with biologics. We compared the efficacy of etanercept with SSZ in patients with AS with peripheral joint involvement. Methods. The efficacy of etanercept 50 mg once weekly was compared with that of SSZ up to 3 g daily in subjects with ≥ 1 swollen peripheral joint at baseline, using data from a 16-week randomized double-blind study in subjects with AS. Efficacy was assessed by the Assessment in AS criteria and the Bath AS Disease Activity, Functional, and Metrology indices. The last observation carried forward method was used for imputation of missing values. Results. Of 566 subjects included in original study, 181 (etanercept 121; SSZ 60) had ≥ 1 swollen peripheral joint and 364 (etanercept 250; SSZ 124) had none at baseline. AS patients treated with etanercept showed significantly greater improvement than those treated with SSZ in all joint assessments regardless of swollen joint involvement. Conclusion. In this analysis, etanercept was significantly more effective than SSZ for management of patients with AS and peripheral joint involvement.