He presented the results of a single-center trial. He looked at 105 adult rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients who had maintained a Disease Activity Score of less than 1.6 for at least 6 months (defined as remission) on the standard dose of etanercept (Enbrel) in combination with a methotrexate regimen (7.5–10 mg/week). The patients were randomized to receive either a continuation of the standard dose of etanercept (25 mg twice per week) or a lower dose of the drug (25 mg once per week) for 24 weeks. The investigators excluded patients who had received other tumor necrosis factor-α antagonists prior to the trial. Methotrexate and other drugs were kept at the same dosages as before the trial.

At the end of the trial, the percentage of patients who maintained remission on the Disease Activity Score was similar in the lower-dose (73%, 38 of 52) and standard-dose groups (89%, 47 of 53), said Dr. Punzi of the rheumatology unit in the department of clinical and experimental medicine at the University of Padua (Italy).

All of the 14 patients in the lower-dose group who did not maintain remission and withdrew from the trial because of a lack of efficacy returned to the standard dose; 9 (64%) of them again achieved remission, whereas the other 5 switched to another anti-TNF-α drug.

Scores on the Health Assessment Questionnaire also did not differ significantly between the groups at 8, 16, and 24 weeks. Adverse events, including serious infections, occurred at similar rates in each group.