Safety and efficacy of once-weekly application of Etanercept in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Etanercept-a recombinant TNF receptor fusion protein-has been approved for the treatment of resistant polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. In children with JIA, 0.4 mg/kg is given subcutaneously twice weekly. In adult patients efficacy and safety of etanercept, 25 mg twice weekly was comparable to 50 mg once weekly. In the German paediatric Etanercept registry six patients with JIA were identified, who received Etanercept once weekly primarily and six patients who received Etanercept initially twice weekly and later once weekly with increased dose per injection. In both groups, treatment was efficacious and well tolerated. In patients switching from twice to once weekly administration, there was no loss of efficacy and no increase in toxicity. At last observation 10/12 patients achieved an ACR-JRA 30 and 8/12 achieved an ACR-JRA70 response. These data indicate that once weekly application of etanercept is safe and efficacous in children.