10 May 2005
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals achieve EU and FDA approval for treating plaque psoriasis

Dubai - Wyeth Pharmaceuticals today announced that ENBREL? (etanercept), a novel biologic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, has received formal approval from the European Union (EU) and the FDA for the treatment of adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, the most common form of psoriasis affecting nearly 80 percent of the psoriasis patients. This approval marks the fifth indication for Enbrel in the EU and the US and offers dermatologists the option to effectively treat patients with both diseases with a single medication. Enbrel is available in most of the Gulf and Middle East countries.

ENBREL has been used by more than 280,000 patients worldwide across multiple indications and offers an efficacy and safety profile established over ten years of clinical trials. 

Psoriasis is a potentially serious and disabling chronic skin condition that is estimated to affect about 2 percent of the world's population. The percentages for the UAE are alarmingly higher and currently stand at nearly 4.3 percent of the total population. 

"Current treatment for psoriasis are often limited, and people with the disease need new treatment options that can provide consistent relief from painful symptoms and can improve their quality of life" said Dr. Hussein Abdel Dayem, Chief Dermatologist- Mafraq Hospital.

Highlighting the effectiveness of Enbrel, Dr. Baher Massoud Medical Director Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Middle East and North Africa, "People with moderate to severe psoriasis treated with Enbrel have experienced rapid relief of symptoms, starting from the first week of treatment, and this effect can last for up to 24 weeks".

There is a significant disease burden associated with psoriasis that can present a lifetime of physical and emotional challenges.  It may affect work and social relationships and may cause feelings of depression and emotional embarrassment deeply impacting the quality of life." Said, Dr. Dayem.

Dr. Massoud concluded, "Enbrel has been shown to help manage the potentially painful and visible symptoms of psoriasis, even among patients who have failed other therapies".   

-Ends -

About Enbrel
Enbrel is the first biologic therapy and the first human soluble tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor to be approved by the FDA and the European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) for the treatment of RA and is the first and only biologic therapy approved to treat juvenile chronic arthritis (JCA) and psoriatic arthritis. Enbrel is only fully human anti- TNF therapy approved to reduce the signs and symptoms of active arthritis in patients with psoriatic arthritis, and to reduce the signs and symptoms and inhibit the progression of structural damage in patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Enbrel can be used alone or in combination. Enbrel has received EU and FDA approval for the treatment of moderate to sever plaque psoriasis.

About Wyeth
Wyeth is a global leader and research based company in prescription pharmaceuticals, non-prescription consumer health care products and pharmaceuticals for animal health. Wyeth Pharmaceuticals products are sold in more than 140 countries, and its product portfolio includes innovative treatments across a wide range of therapeutic areas. Wyeth's worldwide resources include 52,000 employees, manufacturing facilities on four continents and a unique research and technology base encompassing small molecules, vaccines and biotechnology. With this depth of resources, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals will continue to lead the way in the development of novel therapies that address critical global health needs.

In 1963, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals opened an office in Egypt and two years later established itself in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It expanded its regional presence to the UAE in 1995. In 2004 Wyeth Pharmaceuticals established its Middle East & North Africa affiliate in Dubai, UAE.

For more information, please contact:
Majid Wasi
ASDA'A - a public relations consultancy,
Dubai, UAE,
Tel: +9714-3344550
Fax: +9714-3344556
Email: m.wasi@asdaa.com

© Press Release 2005