| Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rituxan vs Xeljanz
Side-by-side clinical, coverage, and cost comparison for rheumatoid arthritis.Deep comparison between: Rituxan vs Xeljanz 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 signalsXeljanz has a higher rate of injection site reactions vs Rituxan based on FDA-approved prescribing information
Coverage gaps3 major payers require step therapy for Xeljanz but not Rituxan, including UnitedHealthcare
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Category
Rituxan
Xeljanz
At A Glance
IV infusion
Anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody
Oral
Twice daily
JAK inhibitor
Indications
- Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin
- Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
- Microscopic Polyarteritis
- Pemphigus Vulgaris
- Acute lymphocytic leukemia
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Arthritis, Psoriatic
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Juvenile polyarthritis
Dosing
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.
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
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Adverse Reactions
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
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
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).
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
Rituxan
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (10/12) · Step Therapy (10/12) · Qty limit (0/12)
Xeljanz
- Covered on 5 commercial plans
- PA (12/12) · Step Therapy (12/12) · Qty limit (11/12)
UnitedHealthcare
Rituxan
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (0/8) · Step Therapy (0/8) · Qty limit (0/8)
Xeljanz
- Covered on 4 commercial plans
- PA (8/8) · Step Therapy (8/8) · Qty limit (8/8)
Humana
Rituxan
- Covered on 0 commercial plans
- PA (3/3) · Step Therapy (3/3) · Qty limit (0/3)
Xeljanz
- 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 Rituxan.
No savings programs available for Xeljanz.
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Clinical data sourced from FDA-approved labeling. Coverage data via MMIT. Updated monthly.