We investigated the efficacy of switching from etanercept 25 mg administered subcutaneously twice a week (ETN25 T/W) to 50 mg once a week (ETN50 O/W) in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In the questionnaire, there were patients who reported “increased pain” by switching to ETN50O/W, but many patients reported improved convenience in terms of “reduced administration”, “convenient storage” and “easier to remember administration”. No patient requested to switch back from ETN50O/W to ETN25T/W. The evaluation of efficacy before (0 week) and after (8, 16, 24 weeks) using Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28-CRP) showed no significant difference. Based on our findings, we suggest that the change from ETN25T/W to ETN50O/W is a clinical treatment choice with high efficacy for most patients.
