| Rheumatoid Arthritis
Avsola vs Actemra
Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for rheumatoid arthritis.Deep comparison between: Avsola vs Actemra 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 signalsActemra has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Avsola based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Actemra but not Avsola, including UnitedHealthcare
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Category
Avsola
Actemra
At A Glance
IV infusion
Every 6-8 weeks
TNF-alpha inhibitor
IV infusion or SC injection
Every 4 weeks (IV) or Every week to Every other week (SC)
IL-6 receptor antagonist
Indications
- Crohn Disease
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Arthritis, Psoriatic
- Psoriasis
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Giant Cell Arteritis
- Lung disease with systemic sclerosis
- Juvenile polyarthritis
- Systemic onset juvenile chronic arthritis
- Cytokine Release Syndrome
- COVID-19 Virus Disease
Dosing
Crohn Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Arthritis, Psoriatic, Psoriasis 5 mg/kg IV induction at weeks 0, 2, and 6, followed by 5 mg/kg every 8 weeks maintenance.
Rheumatoid Arthritis 3 mg/kg IV induction at weeks 0, 2, and 6, followed by 3 mg/kg every 8 weeks maintenance, in combination with methotrexate.
Ankylosing Spondylitis 5 mg/kg IV induction at weeks 0, 2, and 6, followed by 5 mg/kg every 6 weeks maintenance.
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.
Contraindications
- Doses >5 mg/kg in patients with moderate or severe heart failure
- Previous severe hypersensitivity reaction to infliximab products, any inactive ingredient of AVSOLA, or murine proteins
- Known hypersensitivity to tocilizumab
Adverse Reactions
Most common (>10%) Infections (upper respiratory, sinusitis, pharyngitis), infusion-related reactions, headache, abdominal pain
Serious Pneumonia, cellulitis, abscess, skin ulceration, sepsis, bacterial infection, lymphoma, hepatotoxicity
Postmarketing Neutropenia, agranulocytosis, interstitial lung disease, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, acute liver failure, anaphylactic shock, cerebrovascular accidents, myocardial ischemia
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.
Pharmacology
TNF-alpha inhibitor; chimeric IgG1kappa monoclonal antibody that neutralizes TNFalpha by binding with high affinity to the soluble and transmembrane forms of TNFalpha, inhibiting binding of TNFalpha with its receptors.
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.
Enter your patient's insuranceCheck specific coverage details for your patient.
Most Common Insurance
Anthem BCBS
Avsola
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (10/12) · Step Therapy (10/12) · Qty limit (0/12)
Actemra
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (10/12) · Step Therapy (10/12) · Qty limit (0/12)
UnitedHealthcare
Avsola
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (0/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (0/8)
Actemra
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (4/8) · Step Therapy (4/8) · Qty limit (0/8)
Humana
Avsola
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (0/3)
Actemra
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (0/3) · Step Therapy (0/3) · Qty limit (0/3)
Coverage data sourced from MMIT. Updated monthly.
Savings
No savings programs available for Avsola.
No savings programs available for Actemra.
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Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.