Wyeth presents new Enbrel PA data

US drug major Wyeth has presented new data on its Enbrel (etanercept) treatment for psoriatic arthritis, at a meeting of the Royal College of Physicians in London, UK.

In the results from the randomized, multicenter PRESTA study, at 24 weeks, 70% of patients taking 50mg Enbrel twice-weekly and 62% giving 50mg once-weekly showed a 75% improvement in the psoriasis area and severity index.

In addition, around 72%-77% taking Enbrel showed joint improvement, as measured by the Psoriatic Arthritis Response Criteria, at only 12 weeks and maintained this improvement at 24 weeks in both arms of the study. The firm says further results from the PRESTA study demonstrate that Enbrel can also improve patients' quality of life.