Using etanercept injection may decrease your ability to fight infection and increase the risk that you will get a serious infection, including severe viral, bacterial, or fungal infections that spread throughout the body. These infections may need to be treated in a hospital and may cause death. Tell your doctor if you often get any type of infection or if you think you may have any type of infection now. This includes minor infections (such as open cuts or sores), infections that come and go (such as cold sores) and chronic infections that do not go away. Also tell your doctor if you have or have ever had diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) , acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), or any other condition that affects your immune system. You should also tell your doctor if you live or have ever lived in areas such as the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys where severe fungal infections are more common. Ask your doctor if you do not know if these infections are common in your area. Also tell your doctor if you are taking medications that decrease the activity of the immune system such as the following: abatacept (Orencia); anakinra (Kineret); azathioprine (Imuran); steroids including dexamethasone, methylprednisolone (Medrol), prednisolone (Prelone) and prednisone; or methotrexate (Rheumatrex).
Your doctor will monitor you for signs of infection during and shortly after your treatment. If you have any of the following symptoms before you begin your treatment or if you experience any of the following symptoms during or shortly after your treatment, call your doctor immediately: weakness; sweating; difficulty breathing; sore throat; cough; coughing up bloody mucus; fever; weight loss; extreme tiredness; diarrhea; stomach pain; flu-like symptoms; warm, red, or painful skin; or other signs of infection.
You may be infected with tuberculosis (TB, a type of lung infection) or hepatitis B (a type of liver disease) but do not have any symptoms of the disease. In this case, etanercept injection may increase the risk that your infection will become more serious and you will develop symptoms. Your doctor will perform a skin test to see if you have an inactive TB infection and may order blood tests to see if you have an inactive hepatitis B infection. If necessary, your doctor will give you medicine to treat this infection before you begin using etanercept injection. Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had TB, if you have lived in a country where TB is common, or if you have been around someone who has TB. If you have any of the following symptoms of TB, or if you develop any of these symptoms during your treatment, call your doctor immediately: cough, weight loss, loss of muscle tone, or fever. Also call your doctor immediately if you have any of these symptoms of hepatitis B or if you develop any of these symptoms during or after your treatment: excessive tiredness, yellowing of the skin or eyes, loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting, muscle aches, dark urine, clay-colored bowel movements, fever, chills, stomach pain, or rash.
Some children and teenagers who received etanercept injection and similar medications developed severe or life-threatening cancers including lymphoma (cancer that begins in the cells that fight infection). If your child develops any of these symptoms during his treatment, call his doctor immediately: unexplained weight loss; swollen glands in the neck, underarms, or groin; or easy bruising or bleeding. Talk to your child's doctor about the risks of giving etanercept injection to your child.
Your doctor or pharmacist will give you the manufacturer's patient information sheet (Medication Guide) when you begin treatment with etanercept injection and each time you refill your prescription. Read the information carefully and ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions. You can also visit the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website (http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm085729.htm) or the manufacturer's website to obtain the Medication Guide.
Talk to your doctor about the risks of using etanercept injection.
Etanercept is used alone or with other medications to relieve the symptoms of certain autoimmune disorders (conditions in which the immune system attacks healthy parts of the body and causes pain, swelling, and damage) including:
rheumatoid arthritis (condition in which the body attacks its own joints, causing pain, swelling, and loss of function)
psoriatic arthritis (condition that causes joint pain and swelling and scales on the skin)
juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA; a condition that affects children in which the body attacks its own joints, causing pain, swelling, loss of function, and delays in growth and development)
ankylosing spondylitis (a condition in which the body attacks the joints of the spine and other areas causing pain and joint damage),
chronic plaque psoriasis (a skin disease in which red, scaly patches form on some areas of the body)
Etanercept is in a class of medications called tumor-necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors. It works by blocking the action of TNF, a substance in the body that causes inflammation
Etanercept injection comes as a solution (liquid) in a prefilled syringe and an automatic injection device, and as a powder to be mixed with a provided liquid. Etanercept is injected subcutaneously (under the skin). It is usually injected once a week. When etanercept injection is used to treat chronic plaque psoriasis, it may be injected twice a week during the first 3 months of treatment and then once a week after the first 3 months. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use etanercept exactly as directed. Do not use more or less of it or use it more often than prescribed by your doctor.
You will receive your first dose of etanercept injection in a doctor's office. After that, you can inject the medication yourself at home or have a friend or relative perform the injections. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to show you or the person who will be performing the injections how to inject etanercept. Read the written instructions that come with etanercept injection before you inject the medication.
Vials of etanercept injection may contain enough medication for more than one dose. If there is enough medication left in the vial for a complete dose, place the vial in the refrigerator as soon as possible, but no later than 4 hours after you mix it. You may store the vial of etanercept injection for up to 14 days after you mix it if there is enough medication remaining for a complete dose. However, you should not combine the contents of two or more vials of etanercept injection to make a complete dose. You also should not mix any other medications with etanercept injection.
If your medication comes in a prefilled syringe or automatic injection device, use each syringe or device only once and inject all the solution in the syringe or device. Even if there is still some solution left in the syringe or device, do not use it again. Dispose of used needles, syringes, and devices in a puncture-resistant container. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about how to dispose of the puncture-resistant container.
If you are using a prefilled syringe, an automatic injection device, or a vial that has been refrigerated, place the syringe, device, or vial on a flat surface and allow it warm to room temperature for 15-30 minutes before you are ready to inject the medication. Do not try to warm the medication by heating it in a microwave, placing it in hot water, or through any other method.
Do not shake a syringe, automatic injection device, or vial that contains etanercept. Be careful not to drop the device onto a hard surface because this may damage the device, syringe, or needle.
Always look at etanercept solution before injecting it. Check that the expiration date has not passed and that the liquid is clear and colorless. The liquid may contain small white particles, but should not contain large or colored particles. Do not use a syringe or dosing pen if it is cracked or broken, if it is expired, or if the liquid is cloudy or contains large or colored particles.
The best place to inject etanercept injection is the front of your middle thighs. You can also inject the medication in your lower stomach below your navel, except the area 2 inches (5 centimeters) around your navel. If someone else is giving you the injection, that person can also inject the medication into your upper arms. If etanercept is injected into the upper arms or stomach, the skin in the area must be stretched to create a firm surface for the injection. Choose a different site for each injection. Do not inject into an area where the skin is tender, bruised, red, hard, or where there are scars or stretch marks. If you have psoriasis, do not inject into skin that is red, thick, raised, or scaly.
Etanercept injection may help control your condition but will not cure it. Continue to use etanercept injection even if you feel well. Do not stop using etanercept without talking to your doctor.
This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information.
Unless your doctor tells you otherwise, continue your normal diet.
Inject the missed dose as soon as you remember it. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your usual dosing schedule. Do not inject a double dose to make up for a missed one.
redness, itching, pain, or swelling at the site of injection
headache
nausea
vomiting
heartburn
stomach pain
weakness
cough
seizures
bruising
bleeding
pale skin
blistering skin
rash
hives
itching
swelling of the eyes, face, lips, tongue, throat, arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs
difficulty breathing or swallowing
rash on the face and arms that worsens in the sun
numbness or tingling
vision problems
weakness in the arms or legs
dizziness
red, scaly patches or pus-filled bumps on the skin
Adults who receive etanercept injection maybe at greater risk of developing lymphoma, leukemia (cancer that begins in the white blood cells), skin cancer, and other types of cancer than adults who do not receive this medication. Talk to your doctor about the risks of receiving etanercept injection.
Etanercept injection may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while using this medication.
If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online [at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch] or by phone [1-800-332-1088].
Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store etanercept injection in the refrigerator but do not freeze. Keep the vials, prefilled syringes, or injection devices in their original cartons to protect them from light. If you have mixed a vial of etanercept powder with the provided liquid, you may store the solution in the refrigerator for up to 14 days. Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.
In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.
Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor may order certain lab tests to check your body's response to etanercept.
Before having any laboratory test, tell your doctor and the laboratory personnel that you are using etanercept.
Do not let anyone else use your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription.
It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription (over-the-counter) medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital. It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies.
Last Revised - 01/15/2012
AHFS® Consumer Medication Information. © Copyright, 2012. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc., 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland. All Rights Reserved. Duplication for commercial use must be authorized by ASHP.