Enbrel and Remicade and Lymphoma Association?
from Harold E.

Ed, I followed a link from a message board to Amevive Advocate at FlakeHQ and read the note and your response.  Was surprised to see Amevive so effective for your correspondent.

Enbrel has also been shown to be effective, but the jury is still out on longer term safety profile for anti-TNF therapies like Enbrel.  Here is a link suggesting that there may indeed be some issues:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=12483718&dopt=Abstract

Take care, -Harold E.

*****

Ed’s Response:  Thanks for bringing this to our attention, Harold.  The article your email links to serves to remind us that the long-term effects of biologics are still subject to discovery. 

Immunex (makers of Enbrel a.k.a. etanercept) are quick to point out that over 130,000 people have used Enbrel for arthritis for four years already, which makes 26 cases of lymphoma a small percentage.  [Lymphoma is a group of cancer diseases effecting the lymph system.]  Nevertheless, as the article at the end of your link states,

Although data from a case series such as this cannot establish a clear causal relationship between exposure to these medications and the risk of lymphoproliferative disease, the known predisposition of patients with RA [rheumatoid arthritis] and CD [Crohn’s disease] to lymphoma, the known excess of lymphoma in other immunosuppressed populations, and the known immunosuppressive effects of the anti-TNF drugs provide a biologic basis for concern and justification for the initiation of additional epidemiologic studies to formally evaluate this possible association.

[Is it true that the number of years a person goes to college directly correlates to the length of sentences one is permitted to publish?]

Armed with this knowledge, I would imagine flakers who may already have had a lymphoma disease would be well cautioned to bring this to the attention of their doctors before accepting a prescription for Enbrel or Remicade (a.k.a. infliximab).  Though a previous history may not preclude treatment, it will put patient and doctor on alert.

Thanks again, Harold.  -Ed

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