| Psoriasis vulgaris
Otezla vs Stelara
Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for psoriasis vulgaris.Deep comparison between: Otezla vs Stelara with Prescriber.AI
AI compares prescribing info and payer-specific access barriers across 1,200+ formularies. Here's a preview of what prescribers are already asking.Safety signalsStelara has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Otezla based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Stelara but not Otezla, including UnitedHealthcare
Sign up to reveal the full AI analysis
Category
Otezla
Stelara
At A Glance
Oral
Once or twice daily
PDE4 inhibitor
SC injection
Every 8-12 weeks
IL-12/23 antagonist
Indications
- Arthritis, Psoriatic
- Psoriasis vulgaris
- Behcet Syndrome
- Psoriasis vulgaris
- Arthritis, Psoriatic
- Crohn Disease
- Ulcerative Colitis
Dosing
Arthritis, Psoriatic, Psoriasis vulgaris, Behcet Syndrome Adults: OTEZLA 30 mg twice daily or OTEZLA XR 75 mg once daily orally after 5-day titration starting at 10 mg; reduce to 30 mg once daily in severe renal impairment (OTEZLA XR not recommended in severe renal impairment).
Arthritis, Psoriatic, Psoriasis vulgaris (pediatric >=6 years) Weighing >=50 kg: OTEZLA 30 mg twice daily or OTEZLA XR 75 mg once daily orally after weight-based titration; weighing 20 to <50 kg: OTEZLA 20 mg twice daily orally; reduce to once daily dosing in severe renal impairment.
Psoriasis vulgaris Adults <=100 kg: 45 mg SC at weeks 0 and 4, then every 12 weeks; adults >100 kg: 90 mg SC at weeks 0 and 4, then every 12 weeks; pediatric patients >=6 years: weight-based dosing (0.75 mg/kg for <60 kg, 45 mg for 60-100 kg, 90 mg for >100 kg) SC at weeks 0 and 4, then every 12 weeks.
Arthritis, Psoriatic Adults: 45 mg SC at weeks 0 and 4, then every 12 weeks (90 mg for >100 kg with co-existent moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis); pediatric patients >=6 years: weight-based dosing (0.75 mg/kg for <60 kg, 45 mg for >=60 kg, 90 mg for >100 kg with co-existent plaque psoriasis) SC at weeks 0 and 4, then every 12 weeks.
Crohn Disease, Ulcerative Colitis Adults: single IV induction dose (260 mg for <=55 kg, 390 mg for >55-85 kg, 520 mg for >85 kg), followed by 90 mg SC at week 8, then every 8 weeks.
Contraindications
- Known hypersensitivity to apremilast or to any of the excipients in the formulation
- Clinically significant hypersensitivity to ustekinumab or any excipient of STELARA
Adverse Reactions
Most common (>=2%) Diarrhea, nausea, headache, upper respiratory tract infection, vomiting, abdominal pain upper, nasopharyngitis
Serious Hypersensitivity, depression, weight decrease, severe worsening of psoriasis (rebound)
Most common (>=1%) Nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory tract infection, headache, fatigue, back pain, dizziness, pharyngolaryngeal pain, pruritus, injection site erythema, myalgia, depression
Serious Infections, malignancies, serious hypersensitivity reactions, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), noninfectious pneumonia
Postmarketing Hypersensitivity reactions (anaphylaxis, angioedema, dyspnea, rash, urticaria), lower respiratory tract infection, PRES, interstitial pneumonia, eosinophilic pneumonia, cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, pustular psoriasis, erythrodermic psoriasis, hypersensitivity vasculitis
Pharmacology
Apremilast is an oral small molecule inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) specific for cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP); PDE4 inhibition increases intracellular cAMP levels and reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-17, IL-22, and TNF-alpha in blood and skin.
Ustekinumab is a human IgG1k monoclonal antibody that binds the p40 protein subunit shared by IL-12 and IL-23, blocking their interaction with the IL-12Rb1 receptor chain and thereby suppressing downstream inflammatory signaling involved in natural killer cell activation and CD4+ T-cell differentiation and activation.
Enter your patient's insuranceCheck specific coverage details for your patient.
Most Common Insurance
Anthem BCBS
Otezla
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (12/12) · Step Therapy (12/12) · Qty limit (9/12)
Stelara
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (12/12) · Step Therapy (12/12) · Qty limit (11/12)
UnitedHealthcare
Otezla
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (8/8) · Step Therapy (2/8) · Qty limit (8/8)
Stelara
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (4/8) · Step Therapy (4/8) · Qty limit (4/8)
Humana
Otezla
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (3/3)
Stelara
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (3/3)
Coverage data sourced from MMIT. Updated monthly.
Savings
Cost estimate not availableAmgen Safety Net Foundation: Otezla
Commercial or private insurance
Medicare, Medicaid, VA, TRICARE
$5/fillfill
Stelara withMe Savings ProgramCommercial or private insurance
Medicare, Medicaid, VA, TRICARE
Compare Other Drugs
Let us handle your prior authsJust enter your patient's info and we'll:
- Verify eligibility with the payer.
- Pull the right PA forms directly from the payer.
- Submit, track & send live updates to your dashboard.
Free to start · HIPAA compliant
Next Steps for Your Patient
OtezlaView full Otezla profile
StelaraView full Stelara profile
Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.