Erelzi (Etanercept-szzs) for Rheumatoid Arthritis

Overview
Erelzi is a prescription drug approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Erelzi is also referred to by its drug name, etanercept-szzs.

Erelzi is a biosimilar of Enbrel. As defined by the FDA, a biosimilar is a biological product that is approved based on a showing that it is highly similar to an already-approved biological product.

It is a fusion protein created by genetic engineering. Erelzi is believed to work by attaching to tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), a chemical messenger involved in autoimmune attacks. Erelzi binds to TNF-α and prevents it from signaling the immune system to attack the connective tissues.

How do I take it?
Erelzi is administered as a subcutaneous injection once a week.

Erelzi is available as a single-use, prefilled syringe or pen.

Side effects
The FDA-approved label for Erelzi lists common side effects including infections and injection site reactions.

Rare but serious side effects listed for Erelzi include severe infections, nerve disorders such as multiple sclerosis and Guillain-Barré syndrome, heart failure, low blood cell counts, hepatitis B virus reactivation, severe allergic reaction, and increased risk for lymphoma and other cancers.

For more details about this treatment, visit:

Erelzi — RxList
https://www.rxlist.com/erelzi-drug.htm

Erelzi — RheumInfo
https://rheuminfo.com/medications/erelzi/