Etanercept: a clinical review of current and emerging indications.

The recent development of inhibitors of TNF-alpha has provided the opportunity for a more targeted and highly effective approach to the treatment of chronic inflammatory illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis. Since the initial approval of etanercept as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, additional indications, including psoriatic arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis, have also received FDA approval. More than 220,000 patients have been treated with etanercept so far. This review summarises the body of knowledge accumulated so far on etanercept (Enbrel) since it entered the market 5 years ago.