Web Site Offers Important Information And Support Programs For People With Rheumatoid Arthritis And For Their Health Care Providers
SEATTLE, April 6, 1999 - In an effort to better educate patients and health care providers about ENBREL (etanercept), a breakthrough treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Immunex Corporation and Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals have launched the ENBREL Web Site: www.enbrel.com. ENBREL is used to treat moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis in people who have not adequately responded to one or more disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs).
The comprehensive internet site explains how ENBREL works in the body, offers a question and answer section, provides an interactive quiz to help RA sufferers and their doctors determine if ENBREL may be right for them, and highlights several patients' personal experiences with ENBREL. Color photography and animation add to the graphic interest of the site.
Enbrel.com also offers two toll-free numbers to provide support to patients who are considering or are currently taking ENBREL. For questions about insurance coverage, patients can call the Reimbursement Support Line (1-800-282-7704) where they will be connected with an insurance specialist. To answer any noninsurance questions about ENBREL and RA in general, trained telephone counselors are available at 1-888-4ENBREL. A link to the Arthritis Foundation Web Site is also provided.
Approximately 2.1 million Americans suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that can strike at any age and affects three times as many women as men. ENBREL is the first in a class of rheumatoid arthritis drugs known as biologic response modifiers (BRMs), a new approach to RA management and the first breakthrough treatment in many years for people with rheumatoid arthritis.
In medical studies, just over one third of people treated with ENBREL (etanercept) reported redness, itching, pain, and/or swelling where the injection was given. You should not take ENBREL if you have a serious infection or are allergic to ENBREL or its ingredients. If you develop a serious or unusual infection while on ENBREL, you should tell your doctor right away. The long-term effects of treatments like ENBREL on serious infection, malignancy, or autoimmune disease are unknown. If you have questions about this or any of the above, be sure to discuss them with your doctor. Important Product Information can be obtained at www.enbrel.com.
ENBREL is manufactured by Immunex Corporation, Seattle, Washington. Immunex and Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals are marketing ENBREL in North America. Other Wyeth-Ayerst affiliates are marketing ENBREL outside of North America.
Immunex is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing immune system science to protect human health. The company's products offer hope to patients with cancer and inflammatory and infectious diseases.
Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals, a division of American Home Products Corporation (AHP), is a major research-oriented pharmaceutical company with leading products in the areas of women's health care, cardiovascular disease therapies, central nervous system drugs, anti-inflammatory agents, vaccines, and generic pharmaceuticals.
American Home Products owns a majority interest in Immunex. AHP is one of the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in the discovery, development, manufacturing, and marketing of prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications. It is also a leader in vaccines, biotechnology, agricultural products, and animal health care.
NOTE: The statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, risks associated with the inherent uncertainty of pharmaceutical research, product development and commercialization, the impact of competitive products, and patent, and other risks and uncertainties, including those detailed from time to time in AHP's periodic reports, including quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and the annual report on Form 10-K, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ from the forward-looking statements.