Risks Associated with Etanercept and COVID-19
Enbrel or Etanercept if taken concomitantly with other immunosuppressants like Methotrexate or corticosteroids, can cause hospitalization or mortality through serious infections. It is recommended that if serious infection or sepsis develops then Enbrel should be discontinued [11]. Some of the infections reported are associated with viral, bacterial and fungal infections. It can also cause active tuberculosis or reactivation of latent tuberculosis. Fungal infections like candidiasis, aspergillosis, coccidioidomycosis, histoplasmosis\sout, etc. are associated with Enbrel. As per American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and British Society of Rheumatology, patients with ongoing treatment with Etanercept are considered high risk for COVID-19. CDC guidelines should be followed to protect patients from active infections. It is also recommended that patients should continue their treatment plan unless there is evidence of active infection. Moreover, stopping medication abruptly or altering treatment dose plan is not recommended as it can exacerbate the disease [14].