Efficacy of Epidural Etanercept in the Treatment of Sciatica
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2007-12-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha has been strongly implicated as a major contributing factor
for the development of radiculopathy. In animal studies, the application of TNF-alpha to
nerve roots results in pain behavior indicative of radiculopathy. The use of TNF-alpha
inhibitors (etanercept and infliximab) have been shown to prevent this pain behavior.
Open-label studies in humans have shown both etanercept and infliximab provide excellent,
long-term relief in patients with acute radiculopathy from herniated disc. However, a recent
placebo-controlled study failed to demonstrate any significant difference from placebo. The
investigators have already established the safety of neuraxial etanercept in a trial that has
just been completed (not yet published). The objective of this study is to determine whether
small doses of epidural etanercept, an anti-TNF-a medication, is an effective treatment for
LBP caused by nerve root irritation (i.e., radiculopathy).