Enbrel (etanercept) is an injectible drug that is part of the class of drugs called tumor-necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors. (TNF is a substance the body produces that causes inflammation.) This drug is used to treat several autoimmune disorders (disorders that cause the body’s immune system to attack and damage otherwise healthy tissue). The disorders it treats are:
•rheumatoid arthritis (a disorder where the body targets its own joints, which leads to inflammation, pain, swelling, and decreased function) •psoriatic arthritis (a disorder that also leads to joint pain and swelling and is characterized by scales on the skin)•juvenile idiopathic arthritis (a disorder that appears in children under 16 and involves swelling of the lining of the joints)
•ankylosing spondylitis (a disorder that attacks spinal joints, leading to pain and joint damage)
•chronic plaque psoriasis (a skin disorder that causes red, scaly patches to form on the body)
This drug has also been used to treat active arthritis, reactive arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease arthritis.