Letter to the Editor

Enbrel-induced Interstitial Lung Disease

Authors: Anna Marie Quintos-Macasa, MD, Robert Quinet, MD

Abstract

Etanercept is a recombinant fusion protein consisting of the extracellular domain of the human 75 kDa TNF-alpha receptor linked to the Fc portion of the human IgG molecule.1 It acts as a competitive inhibitor of TNF-alpha.


Adverse effects associated with etanercept have included injection site reactions, tuberculosis reactivation, rash, induction of antibodies, demyelinating-like disease, and systemic lupus erythematosus-like illness. A single published case report has described a case of inflammatory lung injury in a patient receiving etanercept.

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References

1. Amgen Corporation. Enbrel (etanercept) prescribing information. Thousand Oaks (CA). October 2002.
 
2. Peno-Green L, Lluberas G, Kingsley T, et al. Lung injury linked to etanercept therapy. Chest2002;122:1858–1860.
 
3. Kamata Y, Nara H, Kamimura T, et al. Rheumatoid arthritis complicated with acute interstitial pneumonia induced by leflunomide as an adverse reaction. Intern Med 2004;43:1201–1204.
 
4. Villenueve E, St-Pierre A, Braidy J, et al. Interstitial pneumonitis associated with infliximab: a case report and review of the literature. J Rheumatol 2005;32:1402.
 
5. Garcia-Vicuna R, Ortiz AM, Carmona L, et al. Inflammatory interstitial lung disease in rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with biologic treatment: incidence and mortality rates compared with patients not receiving biologics. Ann Rheum Dis 2005;64 (Suppl III):470.