Study of Etanercept (Enbrel) in the Treatment of Pemphigus Vulgaris

Summary

The purpose of the study is to find out about the effectiveness and the safety of an investigational drug called etanercept (Enbrel) to treat pemphigus vulgaris. Pemphigus vulgaris is a potentially life threatening blistering condition that currently has no cure. An investigational drug is one that has not been approved by the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat a particular condition or disease. Etanercept has been approved by the FDA to treat rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis, but not pemphigus vulgaris.

Timeline

Start

2004-06

Primary completion

—

Completion

2007-11

Publications

• Background Stanley JR. Pemphigus. In Fizpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine, 6th edition. Eds. Freedberg IM, Eisen AZ, Wolff K, Austen KF, et al. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003. 558-567.
• Background Goldstein BG and Goldstein AO. Pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid. UpToDate.
• Background Alpsoy E, Yilmaz E, Basaran E, Yazar S, Cetin L. Is the combination of tetracycline and nicotinamide therapy alone effective in pemphigus? Arch Dermatol. 1995 Nov;131(11):1339-40. doi: 10.1001/archderm.131.11.1339. No abstract available.
• Background Sacher C, Rubbert A, Konig C, Scharffetter-Kochanek K, Krieg T, Hunzelmann N. Treatment of recalcitrant cicatricial pemphigoid with the tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist etanercept. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2002 Jan;46(1):113-5. doi: 10.1067/mjd.2001.119100.
• Background Berookhim B, Fischer HD, Weinberg JM. Treatment of recalcitrant pemphigus vulgaris with the tumor necrosis factor alpha antagonist etanercept. Cutis. 2004 Oct;74(4):245-7.
• Background Alecu M, Alecu S, Coman G, Galatescu E, Ursaciuc C. ICAM-1, ELAM-1, TNF-alpha and IL-6 in serum and blister liquid of pemphigus vulgaris patients. Roum Arch Microbiol Immunol. 1999 Apr-Jul;58(2):121-30.
• Background D'Auria L, Bonifati C, Mussi A, D'Agosto G, De Simone C, Giacalone B, Ferraro C, Ameglio F. Cytokines in the sera of patients with pemphigus vulgaris: interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-alpha levels are significantly increased as compared to healthy subjects and correlate with disease activity. Eur Cytokine Netw. 1997 Dec;8(4):383-7.

Drugs

Indications