What is the difference between Inflectra and Remicade?

Key Points

• Inflectra (infliximab-dyyb) is a biosimilar to Janssen’s Remicade (infliximab). Inflectra and Remicade belong to the class of drugs called tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha inhibitors.
• Inflectra can be prescribed for the same uses as Remicade, including rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ankylosing spondylitis, ulcerative colitis, psoriatic arthritis, and plaque psoriasis. It is often used when other medicines have not been effective.
• Both Inflectra and Remicade come as an intravenous (IV) powder for injection.

A biosimilar must have no clinically meaningful safety or effectiveness differences from the reference product, but it is not considered identical like a generic product.

Related: What Are Biosimilars? Top Facts You May Not Know

Inflectra, approved in 2016, is manufactured by Celltrion-Pfizer, while Remicade, the reference product, was first approved in 1998 and is made by Janssen. Inflectra was the first biosimilar to Remicade.

How does infliximab work?

Infliximab blocks the protein called tumor necrosis factor-alfa (TNF alpha). People with certain inflammatory diseases, like psoriasis or rheumatoid arthritis, have too much TNF-alpha. This can cause the immune system to attack healthy tissues of the body. Infliximab can help block the damage caused in your body by too much TNF-alpha.

Other infliximab biosimilar brands include:

• Avsola (infliximab-axxq) from Amgen, approved Dec. 2019
• Ixifi (infliximab-qbtx) from Pfizer, approved Dec. 2017
• Renflexis (infliximab-abda) from Samsung Bioepis, approved April 2017

How do costs compare between Inflectra and Remicade?

Inflectra, as a biosimilar, is slightly less expensive than Remicade. Inflectra costs about $997 per 100 mg vial while Remicade costs about $1,229 for the same amount.

For additional information, see the overview: Comparing Inflectra vs Remicade