Etanercept (Enbrel®) therapy for chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy

• Published in: Journal of the neurological sciences Vol. 210; no. 1; pp. 19 - 21
• Main Authors: Chin, Russell L, Sherman, William H, Sander, Howard W, Hays, Arthur P, Latov, Norman
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier B.V 15.06.2003; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP); Combined Modality Therapy; Demyelination; Drug Administration Schedule; Etanercept; Etanercept (Enbrel®); Female; Humans; Immunoglobulin G - therapeutic use; Immunomodulators; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Movement - physiology; Multiple sclerosis and variants. Guillain barré syndrome and other inflammatory polyneuropathies. Leukoencephalitis; Muscle, Skeletal - drug effects; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Neural Conduction; Neurology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Polyneuropathy; Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating - drug therapy; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor - therapeutic use; Therapy; Treatment Outcome; Tumor necrosis factor (TNF); Therapy; Tumor necrosis factor (TNF); Polyneuropathy; Etanercept (Enbrel®); Demyelination; Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP); Human; Nervous system diseases; Cytokine; Inflammatory disease; Case study; Chemotherapy; Chronic; Treatment; Etanercept; Peripheral nerve disease; Antagonist; Tumor necrosis factor α
• ISSN: 0022-510X; 1878-5883
• DOI: 10.1016/S0022-510X(03)00010-8

Patients with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and/or variants who were refractory or intolerant of standard therapies were treated with etanercept, 25 mg twice per week. Ten patients underwent treatment, and manual muscle strength, sensory thresholds and functional abilities were tested prior to and 4–6 months after initiating therapy. Three patients had significant improvement and three others had possible improvement. Based on these preliminary observations, treatment with etanercept may be considered in patients with CIDP, who cannot undergo standard therapies, although its efficacy in CIDP needs to be examined in a double-blinded, controlled clinical trial.