| Rheumatoid Arthritis
Actemra vs Enbrel
Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for rheumatoid arthritis.Deep comparison between: Actemra vs Enbrel 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 signalsEnbrel has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Actemra based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Enbrel but not Actemra, including UnitedHealthcare
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Category
Actemra
Enbrel
At A Glance
IV infusion or SC injection
Every 4 weeks (IV) or Every week to Every other week (SC)
IL-6 receptor antagonist
SC injection
Once weekly
TNF-alpha inhibitor
Indications
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Giant Cell Arteritis
- Lung disease with systemic sclerosis
- Juvenile polyarthritis
- Systemic onset juvenile chronic arthritis
- Cytokine Release Syndrome
- COVID-19 Virus Disease
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Arthritis, Psoriatic
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Psoriasis vulgaris
- Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Rheumatoid Factor Negative
- Juvenile psoriatic arthritis
Dosing
Rheumatoid Arthritis IV: 4 mg/kg every 4 weeks, increase to 8 mg/kg every 4 weeks based on response; SC: 162 mg every other week (for <100 kg) or every week (for >=100 kg), increase to every week based on response.
Giant Cell Arteritis IV: 6 mg/kg every 4 weeks with tapering glucocorticoids; SC: 162 mg every week with tapering glucocorticoids (may use every other week based on clinical considerations).
Systemic Sclerosis-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease SC: 162 mg every week.
Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis IV: 10 mg/kg every 4 weeks (<30 kg) or 8 mg/kg every 4 weeks (>=30 kg); SC: 162 mg every 3 weeks (<30 kg) or every 2 weeks (>=30 kg).
Systemic Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis IV: 12 mg/kg every 2 weeks (<30 kg) or 8 mg/kg every 2 weeks (>=30 kg); SC: 162 mg every 2 weeks (<30 kg) or every week (>=30 kg).
Cytokine Release Syndrome IV: 12 mg/kg (<30 kg) or 8 mg/kg (>=30 kg) as single dose, alone or with corticosteroids; up to 3 additional doses at least 8 hours apart if no improvement.
COVID-19 IV: 12 mg/kg (<30 kg) or 8 mg/kg (>=30 kg) as single 60-minute infusion; one additional dose at least 8 hours later if clinical signs worsen or do not improve.
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Arthritis, Psoriatic, Ankylosing spondylitis 50 mg SC once weekly, with or without MTX
Psoriasis vulgaris 50 mg SC twice weekly for 3 months (loading), then 50 mg SC once weekly (maintenance)
Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, Rheumatoid Factor Negative, Juvenile psoriatic arthritis 0.8 mg/kg SC once weekly, maximum 50 mg per week
Contraindications
- Known hypersensitivity to tocilizumab
- Sepsis
Adverse Reactions
Most common (>=5%) Upper respiratory tract infections, nasopharyngitis, headache, hypertension, increased ALT, injection site reactions (SC only).
Serious Serious infections (pneumonia, urinary tract infection, cellulitis, herpes zoster, gastroenteritis, diverticulitis, sepsis, bacterial arthritis), gastrointestinal perforations, hypersensitivity reactions including anaphylaxis.
Postmarketing Fatal anaphylaxis, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS), pancreatitis, drug-induced liver injury, hepatitis, hepatic failure, jaundice, hypofibrinogenemia.
Most common Infections (upper respiratory tract infection, sinusitis, influenza), injection site reactions (erythema, itching, pain, swelling)
Serious Serious infections (pneumonia, cellulitis, septic arthritis, sepsis), neurologic events, congestive heart failure, hematologic events
Postmarketing Pancytopenia, anemia, leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, aplastic anemia, congestive heart failure, inflammatory bowel disease, angioedema, autoimmune hepatitis, macrophage activation syndrome, systemic vasculitis, sarcoidosis, lupus-like syndrome, melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancers, Merkel cell carcinoma, convulsions, multiple sclerosis, demyelination, optic neuritis, transverse myelitis, uveitis, scleritis, glomerulonephritis, interstitial lung disease, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, opportunistic infections
Pharmacology
Tocilizumab is a humanized IgG1 kappa monoclonal antibody that binds to soluble and membrane-bound IL-6 receptors, inhibiting IL-6-mediated signaling involved in inflammatory and immune processes.
Etanercept is a dimeric soluble form of the human p75 TNF receptor that inhibits binding of TNF-alpha and TNF-beta (lymphotoxin alpha) to cell surface TNF receptors, rendering TNF biologically inactive and modulating downstream inflammatory responses including adhesion molecule expression, cytokine levels, and matrix metalloproteinase levels.
Enter your patient's insuranceCheck specific coverage details for your patient.
Most Common Insurance
Anthem BCBS
Actemra
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (10/12) · Step Therapy (10/12) · Qty limit (0/12)
Enbrel
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (12/12) · Step Therapy (12/12) · Qty limit (11/12)
UnitedHealthcare
Actemra
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (4/8) · Step Therapy (4/8) · Qty limit (0/8)
Enbrel
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (6/8) · Step Therapy (6/8) · Qty limit (6/8)
Humana
Actemra
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (0/3) · Step Therapy (0/3) · Qty limit (0/3)
Enbrel
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (3/3)
Coverage data sourced from MMIT. Updated monthly.
Savings
No savings programs available for Actemra.
No savings programs available for Enbrel.
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Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.