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Erelzi (Subcutaneous)

Generic name: etanercept [ ee-TAN-er-sept ]
Brand names: Enbrel, Erelzi, Eticovo
Drug classes: Antirheumatics, TNF alfa inhibitors

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Mar 23, 2024.

Subcutaneous route(Solution;Powder for Solution)

Serious Infections: Patients treated with etanercept are at increased risk for developing serious infections that may lead to hospitalization or death. Most patients who developed these infections were taking concomitant immunosuppressants such as methotrexate or corticosteroids. Etanercept should be discontinued if a patient develops a serious infection or sepsis.

Reported Infections include: (1) Active tuberculosis, including reactivation of latent tuberculosis. Patients with tuberculosis have frequently presented with disseminated or extrapulmonary disease. Test patients for latent tuberculosis before etanercept use and during therapy. Initiate treatment for latent infection prior to etanercept use. (2) Invasive fungal infections, including histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, candidiasis, aspergillosis, blastomycosis, and pneumocystosis. Patients with histoplasmosis or other invasive fungal infections may present with disseminated, rather than localized, disease. Antigen and antibody testing for histoplasmosis may be negative in some patients with active infection. Consider empiric anti-fungal therapy in patients at risk for invasive fungal infections who develop severe systemic illness. (3) Bacterial, viral, and other infections due to opportunistic pathogens, including Legionella and Listeria.

The risks and benefits of treatment with etanercept should be carefully considered prior to initiating therapy in patients with chronic or recurrent infection. Monitor patients closely for the development of signs and symptoms of infection during and after treatment with etanercept, including the possible development of tuberculosis in patients who tested negative for latent tuberculosis infection prior to initiating therapy.

Malignancies: Lymphoma and other malignancies, some fatal, have been reported in children and adolescent patients treated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers, including etanercept .

Subcutaneous route(Solution)

Patients treated with etanercept products are at increased risk for infections, some progressing to serious infections leading to hospitalization or death. These infections have included bacterial sepsis, tuberculosis, invasive fungal and other opportunistic infections, including Legionella and Listeria. Evaluate for latent tuberculosis and treat if necessary prior to initiation of therapy. Discontinue etanercept-szzs if a serious infection or sepsis occurs during treatment. Lymphoma and other malignancies, some fatal, have been reported in children and adolescent patients treated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers, including etanercept products .

Subcutaneous route(Solution)

Serious Infections

Increased risk of serious infections leading to hospitalization or death, including tuberculosis (TB), bacterial sepsis, invasive fungal infections (such as histoplasmosis), and infections due to other opportunistic pathogens.

Etanercept-ykro should be discontinued if a patient develops a serious infection or sepsis during treatment.

Perform test for latent TB; if positive, start treatment for TB prior to starting etanercept-ykro.

Monitor all patients for active TB during treatment, even if initial latent TB test is negative.

Malignancies

Lymphoma and other malignancies, some fatal, have been reported in children and adolescent patients treated with TNF blockers, including etanercept products .

Uses for Erelzi

Etanercept injection is used alone or with other medicines (eg, methotrexate) to reduce signs and symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis or psoriatic arthritis, such as joint swelling, pain, tiredness, and duration of morning stiffness. It may also be used to treat a condition known as ankylosing spondylitis.

Etanercept injection is also used to treat juvenile idiopathic arthritis or juvenile psoriatic arthritis. It is also used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in patients who may benefit from receiving phototherapy (ultraviolet light treatment) or other treatments.

This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription.

Before using Erelzi

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies have not been performed on the relationship of age to the effects of etanercept injection in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and active juvenile psoriatic arthritis younger than 2 years of age and in children with psoriasis younger than 4 years of age. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of etanercept injection in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have infections, which may require caution in patients receiving etanercept injection.

Breast Feeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Interactions with Medicines

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

Interactions with Food/Tobacco/Alcohol

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

Proper use of Erelzi

This medicine is given as a shot under the skin of your thigh, stomach, or upper arm. Etanercept may sometimes be given at home to patients who do not need to be in the hospital. If you or your child are using this medicine at home, your doctor or nurse will teach you how to prepare and inject the medicine. Be sure that you understand exactly how to use the medicine.

This medicine comes with a Medication Guide and patient instructions. Read and follow these instructions carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions.

If you use this medicine at home, you will be shown the body areas where this shot can be given. Use a different body area each time you give yourself or your child a shot. Keep track of where you give each shot to make sure you rotate body areas. This will help prevent skin problems.

This medicine is available in 4 forms. You may use a prefilled Enbrel Mini™ cartridge through the AutoTouch™ reusable autoinjector, a prefilled syringe, a prefilled SureClick™ autoinjector, or a vial (glass container).

The needle cover on the prefilled syringe, SureClick™ autoinjector, and Enbrel Mini™ cartridge contains dry natural rubber (a derivative of latex), which may cause allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to latex. Tell your doctor if you or your child have a latex allergy before you start using this medicine.

To use the autoinjector or syringe:

To use the Enbrel Mini™ cartridge using the AutoTouch™ reusable autoinjector:

To use the vial:

Dosing

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

Missed Dose

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.

Storage

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not keep outdated medicine or medicine no longer needed.

Ask your healthcare professional how you should dispose of any medicine you do not use.

Store in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.

Protect the medicine from direct light. Keep your medicine in the original package until you are ready to use it.

Keep this medicine in its original container. You may also store the medicine at room temperature for up to 14 days (vial) or 30 days (prefilled autoinjector, syringe, or cartridge). Do not put it back in the refrigerator once it has reached room temperature. Throw away any unused medicine that has been stored at room temperature after 14 days (vial) or 30 days (prefilled autoinjector, syringe, or cartridge). Do not store the medicine in extreme heat or cold (including keeping it inside your vehicle's glove box or trunk).

Do not refrigerate the AutoTouch™ reusable autoinjector. Keep it at room temperature.

Throw away used needles in a hard, closed container where the needles cannot poke through. Keep this container away from children and pets.

Detailed Erelzi dosage information

Otezla, Sotyktu, Cimzia, aspirin, prednisone, ibuprofen, meloxicam, naproxen, methotrexate, celecoxib

Precautions while using Erelzi

It is very important that your doctor check you or your child's progress at regular visits to make sure that this medicine is working properly. Blood tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

Your body's ability to fight infection may be reduced while you are being treated with etanercept. It is very important that you call your doctor at the first signs of any infection. Check with your doctor right away if you or your child have fever, chills, cough or hoarseness, flu-like symptoms, lower back or side pain, painful or difficult urination, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

While you are being treated with etanercept, do not have any immunizations (vaccines) without your doctor's approval. Your child's vaccines need to be current before he or she begins using etanercept. Be sure to ask your child's doctor if you have any questions about this.

This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions including anaphylaxis. This can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention. Check with your doctor right away if you or your child have a rash, itching, hoarseness, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, or any swelling of your hands, face, or mouth after you receive the medicine.

You or your child will need to have a skin test for tuberculosis before you start using this medicine. Tell your doctor if you or anyone in your home has ever had a positive reaction to a tuberculosis skin test.

This medicine may increase your risk of having a lupus-like syndrome or autoimmune hepatitis. Check with your doctor right away if you or your child have a fever or chills, a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or weakness, light-colored stools, nausea, vomiting, upper right-sided abdominal or stomach pain, or yellow eyes and skin.

Serious skin reactions can occur during treatment with this medicine. Check with your doctor right away if you or your child have blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, chills, cough, diarrhea, fever, itching, joint or muscle pain, red skin lesions, sore throat, sores, ulcers, or white spots in your mouth or lips, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

Serious nervous system problems, including Guillain-Barré syndrome, multiple sclerosis, demyelinating disease, and seizures have occurred rarely in people using this medicine. Talk with your doctor if you have concerns about this.

A small number of people (including children and teenagers) who have used this medicine have developed certain types of cancer (eg, leukemia, lymphoma, skin cancer). Some patients also developed a rare type of cancer called lymphoma. Talk with your doctor if you or your child have unusual bleeding, bruising, or weakness, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, underarms, or groin, or unexplained weight loss. Also, check with your doctor right away if your skin has red, scaly patches, or raised bumps that are filled with pus.

Check with your doctor right away if you have trouble breathing, swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs, or sudden weight gain. These may be signs of a heart condition called congestive heart failure (CHF).

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes abatacept (Orencia®), anakinra (Kineret®), or cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan®). Using any of them together with this medicine may increase your risk of having serious side effects.

Side Effects of Erelzi

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

More common

Less common

Incidence not known

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common

Less common

Incidence not known

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Erelzi side effects (more detail)

Commonly used brand name(s)

In the U.S.

Available Dosage Forms:

Therapeutic Class: Immune Suppressant

Pharmacologic Class: Tumor Necrosis Factor Inhibitor

Biological Products Related to Erelzi

Find detailed information on biosimilars for this medication.

Frequently asked questions

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Further information

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

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