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Erelzi vs. Humira

Are Erelzi and Humira the Same Thing?

Erelzi (etanercept-szzs) injection and Humira (adalimumab) are tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers used to treat certain autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in patients aged 2 years or older, psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and plaque psoriasis (PsO).

Erelzi is biosimilar to Enbrel (etanercept).

Humira is also used to treat Crohn's disease after other drugs have been tried without successful treatment of symptoms.

Side effects of Erelzi and Humira that are similar include injection site reactions (redness, itching, pain, swelling, bleeding, bruising).

Side effects of Erelzi that are different from Humira include diarrhea, rash, hives, and fever.

Side effects of Humira that are different from Erelzi include headache, stuffy nose, sinus pain, and stomach pain.

Both Erelzi and may interact with live vaccines, anakinra, and abatacept.

Erelzi may also interact with cyclophosphamide.

Humira may also interact with etanercept, azathioprine, mercaptopurine, certolizumab, golimumab, infliximab, and rituximab.

What Are Possible Side Effects of Erelzi?

Common side effects of Erelzi include:

  • infections,
  • injection site reactions (redness, itching, pain, swelling, bleeding, bruising),
  • diarrhea,
  • rash,
  • hives, and
  • fever.

What Are Possible Side Effects of Humira?

Common side effects of Humira include:

  • injection site reactions (redness, itching, pain, bruising, swelling, or bleeding),
  • headache,
  • suffy nose,
  • sinus pain, or
  • stomach pain.

Tell your doctor if you have serious side effects of Humira including:

  • fast/irregular/pounding heartbeat,
  • stomach pain,
  • blood in the stools,
  • mental/mood changes,
  • severe headache,
  • easy bruising or bleeding,
  • dark urine,
  • yellowing eyes and skin,
  • leg pain or swelling,
  • numbness or tingling of the arms/hands/legs/feet,
  • unsteadiness,
  • unexplained muscle weakness,
  • difficulty with speaking/chewing/swallowing/facial movements,
  • vision changes,
  • extreme fatigue,
  • joint pain, or
  • butterfly-shaped rash on the nose and cheeks.

What is Erelzi?

Erelzi (etanercept-szzs) injection, for subcutaneous use is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) in patients aged 2 years or older, psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and plaque psoriasis (PsO).

What is Humira?

Humira (adalimumab) is an injectable protein (antibody) used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and plaque psoriasis. Humira is also used to treat Crohn's disease after other drugs have been tried without successful treatment of symptoms.

 

What Drugs Interact With Erelzi?

Erelzi may interact with live vaccines, anakinra, abatacept, and cyclophosphamide. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use and all vaccines you recently received. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant before using Erelzi. It is unknown if it would affects a fetus. Erelzi passes into breast milk but it is unknown if it would affect a nursing baby. Consult your doctor before breastfeeding.

What Drugs Interact With Humira?

Humira may interact with azathioprine or mercaptopurine. Asacol may also interact with pentamidine, tacrolimus, amphotericin B, antibiotics, antiviral medicines, cancer medicine, or aspirin or other NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs).

Humira may also interact with abatacept, anakinra, infliximab, etanercept, certolizumab pegol, golimumab, or rituximab.

 

How Should Erelzi Be Taken?

The dose of Erelzi to treat adult RA and PsA is 50 mg once weekly with or without methotrexate; the dose of Erelzi to treat AS is 50 mg once weekly; the dose of Erelzi to treat adult PsO is 50 mg twice weekly for 3 months, followed by 50 mg once weekly; and the dose of Erelzi to treat JIA (patients who weigh >63 kg) is 0.8 mg/kg weekly, with a maximum of 50 mg per week.

How Should Humira Be Taken?

Humira is given by an injection under the skin. Your doctor will tell you how often to take an injection of Humira. This is based on your condition to be treated. Do not inject Humira more often than you were prescribed.

Do not try to inject Humira yourself until you have been shown the right way to give the injections. If your doctor decides that you or a caregiver may be able to give your injections of Humira at home, you should receive training on the right way to prepare and inject Humira.

Do not miss any doses of Humira unless your doctor says it is okay. If you forget to take Humira, inject a dose as soon as you remember. Then, take your next dose at your regular scheduled time. This will put you back on schedule.

In case you are not sure when to inject Humira, call your doctor or pharmacist.

If you take more Humira than you were told to take, call your doctor.