Remicade vs generic Infliximab

[twob]

going from Remicade (close to 10 years) to the generic Infliximab.. anyone have any issues? new insurance will not cover brand name Remicade.. Dr. says its the same but would love to here from those who know. thank you!

 

[Lisa]

If you do a search on the forum you will find some here who have been switched over with varying levels of success.

 

[awoenker12]

My insurance forced me to switch earlier this year from Remicade to Inflectra. I had been on Remicade for almost 3 years with great results. Around the time of my last infusion before I was forced to switch from Remicade to Inflectra, my inflammatory markers were the lowest they ever were. But once I made the switch to Inflectra, I had all sorts of issues. My inflammatory markers went up to the highest they ever been and was getting a lot of loose stools and diarrhea.

My doctor decided to check my levels of medication and they were slightly low at first, so they just increased the frequency from 7 to 6 weeks. That didn't help, so they decided to up the dosage from 5mg/kg to 10 mg/kg. As I type this, I am getting my first infusion since they decided to increase the dosage to 10mg/kg. So we'll see how it goes. I think it should get me stable enough again, but time will tell.

Basically, I would be extra cautious if you make the switch to a generic or biosimilar. Watch out for any signs of a flare.

 

[Scipio]

My doctor decided to check my levels of medication and they were slightly low at first, so they just increased the frequency from 7 to 6 weeks. That didn't help, so they decided to up the dosage from 5mg/kg to 10 mg/kg. As I type this, I am getting my first infusion since they decided to increase the dosage to 10mg/kg. So we'll see how it goes. I think it should get me stable enough again, but time will tell.

Your insurance company clearly wanted to save themselves money by forcing you to switch to the cheaper biosimilar drug. But looks like it might end up costing them the same or even more money, because you've had to use more drug more often to try to stay in remission. And while they are cheaper than the branded drugs, biosimilars are still pretty expensive.

Might be a case of a penny wise and pound foolish insurance company.

 

[awoenker12]

Your insurance company clearly wanted to save themselves money by forcing you to switch to the cheaper biosimilar drug. But looks like it might end up costing them the same or even more money, because you've had to use more drug more often to try to stay in remission. And while they are cheaper than the branded drugs, biosimilars are still pretty expensive.

Might be a case of a penny wise and pound foolish insurance company.

That's exactly the first thing I thought when my doctor told me that they were increasing the dosage to 10mg/kg. The insurance is only screwing themselves.

Since I am on my parent's insurance policy, I myself really don't have much say in all of this. I wish I could go back to Remicade, but that would take a miracle at this point. But once I get my own insurance policy, I'm definitely getting different insurance than what my parents have.

 

[Poppysocks]

It sounds like the active ingredient is at a lower level in the inflectra than in the remicade. Does anyone have proof of this?

 

[Scipio]

It sounds like the active ingredient is at a lower level in the inflectra than in the remicade. Does anyone have proof of this?

The dosing is the same for both drugs according to the drug labeling. The standard dose of the active drug is 5 mg per each kilogram of the patient's weight. In certain circumstances that can be doubled up to 10 mg per kg.

The bigger question is whether the two drugs are equally effective. My guess, based on occasional patient complaints, is that they are equal for most patients, but there may be some in which for unknown reasons Inflectra does not work quite as well.