Skyrizi vs. Simponi

Skyrizi (risankizumab-rzaa) and Simponi (golimumab injection) are used to treat different types of psoriasis.

Skyrizi is used to treat moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.

Simponi is used to treat psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and ulcerative colitis. Simponi is sometimes used with another medication called methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall).

Skyrizi and Simponi belong to different drug classes. Skyrizi is an interleukin-23 antagonist and Simponi is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitor.

Side effects of Skyrizi and Simponi that are similar include injection site reactions (bruising, redness, fluid leakage, bleeding, infection, inflammation, irritation, pain, itching, swelling, warmth).

Side effects of Skyrizi that are different from Simponi include upper respiratory infections, headache, fatigue, and tinea infections (such as ringworm, athlete's foot, and jock itch).

Side effects of Simponi that are different from Skyrizi include dizziness and cold symptoms (stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat).

Both Skyrizi and Simponi may interact with "live" vaccines.

Simponi may also interact with abatacept, anakinra, rituximab, blood thinners, cyclosporine, digoxin, theophylline, seizure medications, or heart rhythm medications.

Side effects of Skyrizi include:

• upper respiratory infections,
• headache,
• fatigue,
• injection site reactions (bruising, redness, fluid leakage, bleeding, infection, inflammation, irritation, pain, itching, swelling, warmth), and
• tinea infections (such as ringworm, athlete's foot and jock itch)

Common side effects of Simponi include:

• dizziness,
• cold symptoms (stuffy nose, sneezing, sore throat), or
• injection site reactions (redness, itching, pain, or swelling).

Tell your doctor if you have serious side effects of Simponi including:

• easy bruising or bleeding,
• numbness or tingling of the hands or feet,
• unsteadiness,
• unexplained muscle weakness,
• vision changes,
• muscle or joint pain,
• butterfly-shaped rash on the nose and cheeks,
• symptoms of heart failure (including swelling ankles or feet, trouble breathing, unusual tiredness),
• signs of infection (such as fever/chills/cough/persistent sore throat, unusual sweating), or
• symptoms of liver damage (including dark urine, persistent nausea/vomiting/loss of appetite, stomach/abdominal pain, or yellow eyes or skin).

Skyrizi (risankizumab-rzaa) is an interleukin-23 antagonist indicated for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.

Simponi (golimumab injection) is a human IgG1k monoclonal antibody used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Simponi is sometimes used with another medication called methotrexate (Rheumatrex, Trexall). Simponi works by blocking a protein (tumor necrosis factor or TNF) found in the body's immune system that causes joint swelling and damage.

Skyrizi may interact with "live" vaccines. Tell your doctor all medications and supplements you use and all vaccines you recently received. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant before using Skyrizi; it is unknown how it would affect a fetus. It is unknown if Skyrizi passes into breast milk. Consult your doctor before breastfeeding.

Simponi may interact with abatacept, anakinra, rituximab, blood thinners, cyclosporine, digoxin, theophylline, seizure medications, or heart rhythm medications. Tell your doctor all medications you use.

The dose of Skyrizi is 150 mg (two 75 mg injections) administered by subcutaneous injection at Week 0, Week 4 and every 12 weeks thereafter.

The Simponi dose regimen is 50 mg administered by subcutaneous (SC) injection once a month.