Etanercept Dosing

Etanercept comes in the form of an injection that is given once or twice a week. In order for etanercept to work properly, you must take it as prescribed. You can receive your etanercept injections at your healthcare provider's office or, in some cases, you can give the injections to yourself at home. The etanercept dosing guidelines your healthcare provider will follow will depend on several factors, such as your age, the medical condition you are being treated for, and other medications you are taking.

 

An Overview of Etanercept Dosing

The dose of etanercept (Enbrel®) your healthcare provider recommends will vary depending on a number of factors, including:
 
  • Your age
  • The medical condition you are using etanercept for
  • Other medications you may currently be taking
  • Other medical conditions you may have.
     
Etanercept Dosing for Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, and Psoriatic Arthritis
The dose of etanercept for these conditions in adults is etanercept 50 mg per week. This can be given as a single injection or divided into two 25 mg injections given three or four days apart.
 
Etanercept Dosing for Plaque Psoriasis
The dose of etanercept for plaque psoriasis is etanercept 50 mg twice a week (three or four days apart) for the first three months, followed by etanercept 50 mg once a week. Also, lower starting doses (25 or 50 mg per week) have also been shown to be effective.
 
Etanercept Dosing for Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
For children and teens (age 4 to 17) with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, the etanercept dose varies according to weight. The dose is 0.8 mg per kg per week (a little less than 0.4 mg per pound per week), up to 50 mg per week.
 
Children or teens who weigh 138 pounds or more can use the prefilled syringes or SureClick autoinjectors. However, those who weigh less must get their injections from a multi-use vial. This is because the prefilled syringes and autoinjectors contain too much etanercept, and there is no way to give a smaller dose with these devices.
 
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Written by/reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD; Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Kristi Monson, PharmD;