What the FDA labels say about taking them together
Etanercept and sulfasalazine
Etanercept's FDA label of May 11, 2026 names sulfasalazine in its drug interactions section; the sulfasalazine label PlainMeds reads does not name etanercept. The etanercept label: “Patients in a clinical study who were on established therapy with sulfasalazine, to which Enbrel was added, were noted to develop a mild decrease in mean neutrophil counts in comparison to groups treated with either …”
Check it at the source: the etanercept FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 11, 2026, Immunex Corporation); the sulfasalazine FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 29, 2026, Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc).
What does the etanercept label say about sulfasalazine?
Etanercept label, drug interactionsPatients in a clinical study who were on established therapy with sulfasalazine, to which Enbrel was added, were noted to develop a mild decrease in mean neutrophil counts in comparison to groups treated with either Enbrel or sulfasalazine alone.
Source: FDA drug label (ENBREL), Immunex Corporation, effective May 11, 2026 (SPL set a002b40c-097d-47a5-957f-7a7b1807af7f), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What does the sulfasalazine label say about etanercept?
Sulfasalazine's label (effective May 29, 2026) does not name etanercept in these sections. A label lists what its studies and reports found; it is not a complete list.
Source: FDA drug label (Azulfidine), Pfizer Laboratories Div Pfizer Inc, effective May 29, 2026 (SPL set ddbe69f3-bd55-45f3-a64f-f60226c744c4), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
These are the labels' own sentences. PlainMeds does not grade interactions; a pharmacist or prescriber can say what they mean for one person's medicines.
Both medicines on the record
| Etanercept | Sulfasalazine | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Rheumatoid arthritis, Psoriasis | Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, Rheumatoid arthritis |
| Boxed warning | Yes | No |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC) | $2,084.14 per mL 25 mg/0.5 mL syringe | $0.199 per tablet 500 mg tablet |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
Source: FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026 and the FDA Drug Shortage Database (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Check more medicines together
- up to five at once