Study Evaluating Etanercept in the Treatment of Subjects With Ankylosing Spondylitis

Multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel and placebo-controlled outpatient study. The study consists of 2 parts: part A is a 6-week double-blind treatment period and part B is a 6-week open-label treatment period. During part A of the study, subjects will be randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment regimens: 2 etanercept 25 mg or placebo once weekly, administered subcutaneously (SC). After the completion of part A, all subjects will receive 2 etanercept 25 mg once weekly. The use of placebo as a control in part A is necessary to allow a valid comparison and to provide a quantitative assessment of effect.

Inclusion criteria

• Must be of Chinese ancestry and living in China.
• Diagnosis of AS, as defined by Modified New York Criteria for Ankylosing Spondylitis.
• Active AS at time of enrollment, defined by average of visual analog scale (VAS) values for duration and intensity of morning stiffness 30 and two of the following: VAS for patient global assessment 30; average of VAS for nocturnal and total pain 30; BASFI greater than or equal to 30 (all scores on a scale of 0 to 100).

Exclusion criteria

• Complete ankylosis (fusion) of spine.
• Previous treatment with etanercept, antibody to Tumor Necrosis Factor a (TNFa), or other TNFa inhibitors or other biologic agents.
• Use of disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) other than hydroxychloroquine, sulphasalazine, and methotrexate within 4 weeks of baseline. Subjects treated with hydroxychloroquine, sulphasalazine, and methotrexate may continue these drugs during this study but doses must be held stable for 4 weeks before baseline examination and for the duration of the study.