Is There a Biosimilar for Remicade? Yes, Here Are 3 Remicade Biosimilars to Know About
Key takeaways:
Remicade (infliximab) is a biologic medication made from a living source. It treats inflammatory autoimmune disorders like Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis. It’s available in both a brand-name and lower-cost unbranded version, and it’s given as an infusion into a vein.
Biologics don’t have generics. Instead, they have biosimilars. Remicade biosimilars are highly similar to Remicade in safety and efficacy, and they may help you save money. Remicade has three FDA-approved biosimilars available in the U.S.: Inflectra, Renflexis, and Avolsa.
There’s also a new medication called Zymfentra that contains a similar active ingredient to Remicade, but you can inject it under the skin at home. It’s only approved for inflammatory bowel disease in adults at this time.
Table of contents
If you receive Remicade (infliximab) to treat an autoimmune condition, you may be looking for ways to save on your prescription. Your healthcare team may mention switching to a Remicade biosimilar to help with cost savings, but what does that actually mean?
Remicade is a biologic medication made from a living source. Biologics have large, complex structures, making them difficult to replicate. So they don’t have generic equivalents like other medications. Instead, they have biosimilars.
Biosimilars are highly similar in safety and effectiveness compared to the original (reference) biologic they’re based on. Like generics, biosimilars are usually available at a lower cost. And while it’s not a biosimilar, the company that makes Remicade offers an unbranded version at a lower cost, too.
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Here, we’ll learn more about Remicade and its approved biosimilars. We’ll also cover a couple oher Remicade alternatives that may be an option for you.
What is Remicade?
Remicade belongs to a class of medications called tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers. TNF is a protein in your immune system that causes inflammation. Remicade blocks TNF, which reduces inflammation in your body. This can help lessen symptoms of your autoimmune condition. Remicade can also slow the progression of your autoimmune condition, preventing further issues.
Remicade is FDA-approved for treating many autoimmune conditions, including:
Crohn’s disease in adults and children ages 6 years or older
Ulcerative colitis in adults and children ages 6 years or older
Remicade is an infusion that’s given into a vein (IV). Because of this, you’ll usually receive Remicade in an infusion clinic or medical office. The infusion itself lasts about 2 hours. But the actual time in the clinic is often longer.
Based on your health condition, you’ll likely get a Remicade infusion every 6 to 8 weeks. But some people may benefit from infusions as often as every 4 weeks. A healthcare professional will determine your dose based on your body weight and health condition.
Remicade vs. Remicade biosimilars
In 1998, Remicade was the first biologic approved for treating Crohn’s disease in adults. As more studies showed Remicade’s benefits, the FDA approved more indications. Pediatric ulcerative colitis was the last new FDA-approved indication in 2011. Remicade was the only infliximab biologic available for almost 20 years.
Remicade biosimilars are FDA approved for treating the same conditions as Remicade. Compared to Remicade, their structures, side effects, and effectiveness are all highly similar. Because of all this, Remicade biosimilars should work the same way as Remicade.
Like Remicade, all Remicade biosimilars are a 2-hour IV infusion usually given every 6 to 8 weeks. For certain conditions, you can get your infusions every 4 weeks if needed. Your healthcare provider will determine your dose based on your body weight.
There are four approved Remicade biosimilars:
Ixifi (infliximab-qbtx) — not available in the U.S.
Inflectra (infliximab-dyyb)
Renflexis (infliximab-abda)
Avsola (infliximab-axxq)
Good to know: The FDA approved Ixifi in December 2017. But a launch into the U.S. market is highly unlikely. Ixifi is made by the same company as the first approved Remicade biosimilar, Inflectra. And they’re unlikely to make two medications that are essentially the same.
1. Inflectra
In April 2016, Inflectra became the first Remicade biosimilar approved by the FDA. At first, Inflectra wasn’t approved for treating children with ulcerative colitis. But that indication was later added.
Inflectra’s FDA approval was based on studies in people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis. These results were enough for the FDA to see that Inflectra worked in a similar way to Remicade.
Since Inflectra has been on the market, more studies have come out. A 2019 clinical study examined disease progression in all FDA-approved infliximab indications for adults. Regardless of whether participants received Remicade or Inflectra, there was no difference in disease progression for all indications. Both Remicade and Inflectra groups also reported similar side effects.
There are very few studies comparing Inflectra to Remicade in children. The existing ones are on a small number of people and vary in length. But a recent review showed Inflectra had similar remission rates to Remicade when treating Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis in children.
Ways to save: If you have commercial insurance, you may be eligible to pay as little as $0 for each Inflectra treatment using a savings card from the manufacturer. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible for Inflectra’s patient assistance program, which offers the medication free of cost.
2. Renflexis
The FDA approved Renflexis in May 2017, making it the second Remicade biosimilar to come on the market.
A 2017 study compared Renflexis to Remicade in people with RA. People who received Renflexis had a response rate of 64% compared to 66% for those who received Remicade. As you can see, the response rates are very similar.
Both groups also saw improvement in the disease activity score, a measurement of how severe RA symptoms are.
Ways to save: If you have commercial insurance, you may be eligible to pay as little as $5 for each Renflexis treatment using the manufacturer’s copay assistance program. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible for the Renflexis patient assistance program, which offers the medication free of cost.
3. Avsola
In December 2019, Avsola became the fourth FDA-approved Remicade biosimilar.
A recent study compared Avsola to Remicade in those with RA who’ve never received infliximab before. Both groups had a similar response rate halfway through the study.
As the study continued, the response rates in both groups remained very similar, even when some switched from Remicade to Avsola. Both groups had similar side effects, the most common being infusion reactions.
Ways to save: If you have commercial insurance, you may be eligible to pay as little as $0 for each dose of Avsola using a savings card from the manufacturer. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible for Avsola’s patient assistance program, which offers the medication free of cost.
Other Remicade alternatives
There are two other medications that are similar to Remicade, but they aren’t considered biosimilars.
Infliximab
Infliximab is the unbranded version of Remicade. It’s made by the same manufacturer and has the same formulation as Remicade, but without the brand name. So it’s more like an authorized generic version of Remicade instead of a biosimilar.
Ways to save: If you have commercial insurance, you may be eligible to pay as little as $5 for each Infliximab infusion using a savings card from the manufacturer. If you’re uninsured or underinsured, you may be eligible for Infliximab’s patient assistance program, which offers the medication free of cost.
Zymfentra
Zymfentra (infliximab-dyyb) is another medication that’s based on Remicade, but it’s not a biosimilar. That’s because it’s given as an injection under the skin instead of as an IV infusion. This means you can give Zymfentra to yourself at home, instead of going to an infusion center to receive it.
Zymfentra is only approved for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in adults at this time. And you can only use it after you’ve received your first few doses of Remicade (or a biosimilar) as an IV infusion.
Zymfentra was FDA approved in October 2023, and is expected to be available sometime in 2024. There’s no pricing information available for it at this time, but be sure to check back with GoodRx for ways to save on the cost once it’s available.
How to choose the best Remicade biosimilar
Many studies compare Remicade biosimilars to Remicade. But very few compare Remicade biosimilars to each other. Because of this, we can’t assume one is better than another.
Your healthcare provider will help you decide whether you should receive Remicade, Infliximab, or a Remicade biosimilar. Some factors taken into account include the following:
Your medical history
Clinical data
Availability of biosimilars at the infusion clinic
Insurance coverage and cost
Insurance plans may offer better coverage for Remicade or a specific Remicade biosimilar. Each insurance plan is different. So it’s best to call them before switching your medication. Most plans also have a formulary on their website where you can check coverage for a specific medication.
You can also talk to your provider about switching to Zymfentra once you’ve received your first few infusions of Remicade. This may be more convenient for you, since you can give Zymfentra to yourself at home. But it may not be the best choice for your condition. Your provider can help you choose the best treatment option for your needs.
The bottom line
There are three FDA-approved Remicade biosimilars available on the market in the U.S.: Infectra, Renflexis, and Avsola. There’s also an unbranded version of Remicade called Infliximab. All are approved to treat the same autoimmune conditions as Remicade, and all arrive given as an infusion into a vein.
Zymfentra is a new medication that’s similar to Remicade, but you can inject it under the skin yourself at home. You’ll need to receive your first few Remicade infusions before you can switch to Zymfentra. But it may be a more convenient option for some people.
Remicade biosimilars and Infliximab are highly similar to Remicade in safety and efficacy but may help you save money on your prescription. Speak with your healthcare provider if you are interested in switching to a Remicade biosimilar. But if you have prescription insurance, be sure to check with your plan first to see which infliximab product they cover.
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References
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Dipasquale, V., et al. (2022). Biosimilars in pediatric IBD: Updated considerations for disease management. Biologics: Targets and Therapy.
Genovese, M. C., et al. (2020). Comparative clinical efficacy and safety of the proposed biosimilar ABP 710 with infliximab reference product in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Research and Therapy.
Goll, G. L., et al. (2019). Long-term efficacy and safety of biosimilar infliximab (CT-P13) after switching from originator infliximab: Open-label extension of the NOR-SWITCH trial. Journal of Internal Medicine.
Hung, A., et al. (2017). A systematic review of U.S. biosimilar approvals: What evidence does the FDA require and how are manufacturers responding? Journal of Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy.
Janssen Biotech, Inc. (2022). Remicade [package insert].
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