Have you guys already seen this? My hubby brought a copy home that one of the guys from work printed for him.
Remissions up with Amgen's Enbrel plus methotrexate
LOS ANGELES, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Early results from an ongoing study showed that people with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis were more likely to reach clinical remission with Amgen Inc (AMGN.O: Quote, Profile , Research) and Wyeth's (WYE.N: Quote, Profile , Research) Enbrel plus methotrexate than with methotrexate alone.
Results from the first year of a two-year Phase IV study of 542 patients showed that 50 percent of the patients who received Enbrel plus methotrexate were in remission. That compared with 28 percent of patients receiving methotrexate alone.
Participants in the study, which was the first major rheumatoid arthritis trial to use remission as a primary endpoint, had been diagnosed up to 2 years prior to joining the trial and had never before received methotrexate.
Serious adverse events were reported by 33 patients in the Enbrel combination group, versus 34 patients in the methotrexate-only group.
No new safety signals were identified.
Researchers said there were no differences in rates of serious infections or malignancies.
(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein)
http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUKWEN2447200711 07?rpc=44
I wish that would have worked for me! I had to go off Enbrel after 2 years when it stopped working.
Dumb question, are they considering this a "medicated" remission? I always worked under the assumption that when one is in remission they don't require drugs. Maybe I am totally wrong?
Same here Matt. I think it would be more of a sub-mission as it is submitting to the medications.I kinda wondered the same thing. Would you still have to take the meds in order to stay in remission??
I often think the drugs only mask our symptoms and nothing more; our joints are still being damaged. I really hope that is not the case though. I try to stay hopeful.
Hope you guys had a wonderful and pain-free Thanksgiving!