| Rheumatoid Arthritis

Kevzara vs Xeljanz

Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for rheumatoid arthritis.
Deep comparison between: Kevzara vs Xeljanz with Prescriber.AI
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Safety signalsXeljanz has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Kevzara based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Xeljanz but not Kevzara, including UnitedHealthcare
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Kevzara
Xeljanz
At A Glance
SC injection
Every 2 weeks
IL-6 receptor antagonist
Oral
Twice daily
JAK inhibitor
Indications
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Polymyalgia Rheumatica
  • Juvenile polyarthritis
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Arthritis, Psoriatic
  • Ankylosing spondylitis
  • Ulcerative Colitis
  • Juvenile polyarthritis
Dosing
Rheumatoid Arthritis 200 mg SC injection once every 2 weeks; may be used as monotherapy or in combination with methotrexate or other conventional DMARDs.
Polymyalgia Rheumatica 200 mg SC injection once every 2 weeks in combination with a tapering course of corticosteroids; may be used as monotherapy following discontinuation of corticosteroids.
Juvenile polyarthritis 200 mg SC injection once every 2 weeks for patients weighing 63 kg or greater; may be used as monotherapy or in combination with conventional DMARDs.
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Arthritis, Psoriatic, Ankylosing spondylitis Adults: 5 mg twice daily (XELJANZ) or 11 mg once daily (XELJANZ XR).
Ulcerative Colitis Induction: 10 mg twice daily or 22 mg once daily for at least 8 weeks (up to 16 weeks); maintenance: 5 mg twice daily or 11 mg once daily.
Juvenile polyarthritis Weight-based dosing in pediatric patients >=2 years weighing >=10 kg; patients >=40 kg: 5 mg twice daily.
Contraindications
  • Known hypersensitivity to sarilumab or any of the inactive ingredients
—
Adverse Reactions
Most common (>=3%) Neutropenia, increased ALT, injection site erythema, upper respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections
Serious Serious infections (pneumonia, cellulitis), gastrointestinal perforation, hypersensitivity reactions, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, elevated liver enzymes, lipid abnormalities
Most common (>=2%) Upper respiratory tract infection, nasopharyngitis, diarrhea, headache, hypertension.
Serious Serious infections (pneumonia, cellulitis, herpes zoster, urinary tract infection), malignancy, thrombosis, major adverse cardiovascular events, gastrointestinal perforations.
Postmarketing Drug hypersensitivity (angioedema, urticaria), acne.
Pharmacology
IL-6 receptor antagonist; sarilumab is a human recombinant IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds to both soluble and membrane-bound IL-6 receptors (sIL-6R and mIL-6R), inhibiting IL-6-mediated pro-inflammatory signaling involved in T-cell activation, acute phase protein synthesis, and joint inflammation.
Tofacitinib is a JAK inhibitor that blocks JAK1/JAK2, JAK1/JAK3, and JAK2/JAK2 signaling, preventing phosphorylation and activation of STATs to modulate immune cell function and hematopoiesis.
Enter your patient's insuranceCheck specific coverage details for your patient.
Most Common Insurance
Anthem BCBS
Kevzara
  • Covered on 5 commercial plans
  • PA (10/12) · Step Therapy (10/12) · Qty limit (0/12)
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Xeljanz
  • Covered on 5 commercial plans
  • PA (12/12) · Step Therapy (12/12) · Qty limit (11/12)
View full coverage details ›
UnitedHealthcare
Kevzara
  • Covered on 4 commercial plans
  • PA (4/8) · Step Therapy (4/8) · Qty limit (2/8)
View full coverage details ›
Xeljanz
  • Covered on 4 commercial plans
  • PA (8/8) · Step Therapy (8/8) · Qty limit (8/8)
View full coverage details ›
Humana
Kevzara
  • Covered on 0 commercial plans
  • PA (1/3) · Step Therapy (1/3) · Qty limit (0/3)
View full coverage details ›
Xeljanz
  • Covered on 0 commercial plans
  • PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (3/3)
View full coverage details ›
Coverage data sourced from MMIT. Updated monthly.
Savings
Cost estimate not availableAssistance Fund: Rheumatoid Arthritis
Commercial or private insurance
Medicare, Medicaid, VA, TRICARE
No savings programs available for Xeljanz.
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Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.