| Rheumatoid Arthritis
Purified Cortrophin Gel vs Rituxan
Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for rheumatoid arthritis.Deep comparison between: Purified Cortrophin Gel vs Rituxan 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 signalsRituxan has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Purified Cortrophin Gel based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Rituxan but not Purified Cortrophin Gel, including UnitedHealthcare
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Category
Purified Cortrophin Gel
Rituxan
At A Glance
SC/IM injection
Corticotropin (ACTH)
IV infusion
Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody
Indications
- Arthritis, Psoriatic
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Primary gout
- Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic
- Polymyositis
- Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
- Psoriasis
- Dermatitis, Atopic
- Serum Sickness
- Allergic Conjunctivitis
- Keratitis
- Iritis
- Iridocyclitis
- Uveitis
- Optic Neuritis
- Chorioretinitis
- Sarcoidosis
- Nephrotic Syndrome
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
- Microscopic Polyarteritis
- Pemphigus Vulgaris
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia
Dosing
Arthritis, Psoriatic, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis, Primary gout, Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic, Polymyositis, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Psoriasis, Dermatitis, Atopic, Serum Sickness, Allergic Conjunctivitis, Keratitis, Iritis, Iridocyclitis, Uveitis, Optic Neuritis, Chorioretinitis, Sarcoidosis, Nephrotic Syndrome Dose individualized based on disease severity, plasma and urine corticosteroid levels, and patient response; administer SC or IM; verify adrenal responsiveness prior to treatment (up to 80 units as a single injection); chronic doses above 40 units daily associated with uncontrollable adverse effects.
Multiple Sclerosis 80-120 units daily SC or IM for 2-3 weeks for acute exacerbations.
Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin 375 mg/m2 IV; weekly for 4 or 8 doses for relapsed/refractory low-grade or follicular NHL; Day 1 of each chemotherapy cycle for up to 8 doses for previously untreated follicular or DLBCL; every 8 weeks for 12 doses as single-agent maintenance.
Acute lymphocytic leukemia 375 mg/m2 IV for 6 total infusions in combination with LMB chemotherapy (two doses during each of the two induction courses, one dose during each of the two consolidation courses) for pediatric patients aged 6 months and older.
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia 375 mg/m2 IV the day prior to initiation of cycle 1 FC chemotherapy, then 500 mg/m2 on Day 1 of cycles 2-6 every 28 days.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Two 1,000 mg IV infusions separated by 2 weeks per course in combination with methotrexate; subsequent courses every 24 weeks (no sooner than 16 weeks); premedicate with methylprednisolone 100 mg IV 30 minutes prior to each infusion.
Granulomatosis with polyangiitis, Microscopic Polyarteritis Induction: 375 mg/m2 IV once weekly for 4 weeks with glucocorticoids; follow-up: two 500 mg IV infusions separated by 2 weeks, then 500 mg IV every 6 months based on clinical evaluation.
Pemphigus Vulgaris Two 1,000 mg IV infusions separated by 2 weeks in combination with a tapering course of glucocorticoids; then 500 mg IV at Month 12 and every 6 months thereafter or based on clinical evaluation.
Contraindications
- Intravenous administration
- Scleroderma
- Osteoporosis
- Systemic fungal infections
- Ocular herpes simplex
- Recent surgery
- History of or presence of a peptic ulcer
- Congestive heart failure
- Hypertension
- Sensitivity to proteins derived from porcine sources
- Primary adrenocortical insufficiency
- Adrenocortical hyperfunction
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Adverse Reactions
Fluid and Electrolyte Sodium retention, hypokalemic alkalosis, fluid retention, calcium loss, potassium loss
Musculoskeletal Muscle weakness, loss of muscle mass, steroid myopathy, osteoporosis, vertebral compression fractures, aseptic necrosis of femoral and humeral heads, pathologic fracture of long bones
Gastrointestinal Peptic ulcer with possible perforation and hemorrhage, abdominal distention, ulcerative esophagitis, pancreatitis
Dermatologic Injection site reactions, impaired wound healing, increased sweating, thin fragile skin, suppression of skin test reactions, petechiae and ecchymoses, acne, hyperpigmentation, facial erythema
Cardiovascular Hypertension, congestive heart failure, necrotizing angiitis
Neurological Convulsions, increased intracranial pressure with papilledema, headache, vertigo
Endocrine Menstrual irregularities, Cushingoid state, suppression of growth in children, secondary adrenocortical and pituitary insufficiency, decreased carbohydrate tolerance, manifestations of latent diabetes mellitus, increased requirements for insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents, hirsutism
Ophthalmic Posterior subcapsular cataracts, increased intraocular pressure, glaucoma with possible damage to optic nerve, exophthalmos
Metabolic Negative nitrogen balance due to protein catabolism
Allergic Dizziness, nausea and vomiting, skin reactions, anaphylaxis (anaphylactic shock, urticaria, respiratory compromise, edema)
Miscellaneous Weight gain, abscess, development of antibodies and loss of stimulatory effect
Most common (>=25%) Infusion-related reactions, fever, lymphopenia, chills, infection, asthenia (in NHL); infusion-related reactions, neutropenia (in CLL)
Serious Fatal infusion-related reactions, severe mucocutaneous reactions, hepatitis B reactivation with fulminant hepatitis, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, tumor lysis syndrome, sepsis, cardiovascular events, renal toxicity, bowel obstruction and perforation
Postmarketing Prolonged pancytopenia, fatal cardiac failure, progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, severe mucocutaneous reactions, pyoderma gangrenosum, bowel obstruction and perforation, fatal bronchiolitis obliterans, fatal interstitial lung disease, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
Pharmacology
Purified Cortrophin Gel is an anterior pituitary hormone (corticotropin/ACTH) that stimulates the functioning adrenal cortex to produce and secrete adrenocortical hormones; it is formulated as a porcine-derived purified ACTH in a sterile gelatin solution for prolonged activity.
Rituximab is a chimeric murine/human IgG1 kappa monoclonal antibody that binds the CD20 antigen on pre-B and mature B-lymphocytes, mediating B-cell lysis via complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) and antibody dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC).
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Most Common Insurance
Anthem BCBS
Purified Cortrophin Gel
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (10/12) · Step Therapy (1/12) · Qty limit (0/12)
Rituxan
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (10/12) · Step Therapy (10/12) · Qty limit (0/12)
UnitedHealthcare
Purified Cortrophin Gel
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (5/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (0/8)
Rituxan
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (0/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (0/8)
Humana
Purified Cortrophin Gel
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (2/3)
Rituxan
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (0/3)
Coverage data sourced from MMIT. Updated monthly.
Savings
No savings programs available for Purified Cortrophin Gel.
No savings programs available for Rituxan.
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Purified Cortrophin GelView full Purified Cortrophin Gel profile
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Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.