Inflectra (infliximab-dyyb)* and Remicade (infliximab) are brand-name prescription medications. They’re approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat similar autoimmune conditions.
This article provides an overview of the main similarities and differences between Inflectra and Remicade. If you’re considering treatment with one of these drugs, talk with your doctor. They can help you decide if Inflectra or Remicade may be right for you.
Note: For more comprehensive information about these two drugs, you can refer to our Inflectra and Remicade articles.
* The reason “-dyyb” appears at the end of the drug’s name is to show that the drug is distinct from current or future biosimilar versions. To learn about biosimilar drugs, see “Generics or biosimilars: Inflectra and Remicade” below.
Key difference between Inflectra and Remicade
The main difference between Inflectra and Remicade is their active ingredient. Inflectra contains the active drug infliximab-dyyb. This is a biosimilar version of infliximab (the active drug in Remicade).
For more information, see “Generics or biosimilars: Inflectra and Remicade” below.
Below are answers to some common questions about Inflectra and Remicade.
How do Avsola and Renflexis compare with Inflectra and Remicade?
One way that Avsola, Renflexis, Inflectra, and Remicade are similar is that they’re all biologics.
A biologic is made from parts of living cells. This is different from traditional drugs, which are made from chemicals. The active drug in traditional brand-name medications can be copied exactly and made available as generics. Because biologics cannot be copied exactly, they have biosimilars instead of generics.
Avsola, Renflexis, and Inflectra are biosimilars of infliximab, which is the active drug in Remicade. The suffix at the end of each drug’s name is to show that the drug is distinct from current or future biosimilar versions:
- Avsola contains infliximab-axxq.
- Renflexis contains infliximab-abda.
- Inflectra contains infliximab-dyyb.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) verifies that biosimilar drugs are as safe and effective as their parent drug. So, the information for Avsola, Renflexis, Inflectra, and Remicade is similar.
To learn more about these medications, including other ways they compare, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. You can also refer to these Avsola, Inflectra, and Remicade articles.
Is Humira the same as Inflectra or Remicade?
No, the drug Humira (adalimumab) is not the same as Inflectra or Remicade.
Humira, Inflectra, and Remicade belong to a class of drugs called tumor necrosis factor blockers. Each medication is used to treat similar autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis.
However, each drug contains a different active ingredient. Humira contains adalimumab, Inflectra contains infliximab-dyyb,* and Remicade contains infliximab.
To learn more about how these medications are alike and different, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. You can also refer to these articles about Inflectra, Remicade, and Humira.
* The reason “-dyyb” appears at the end of the drug’s name is to show that the drug is distinct from current or future biosimilar versions. To learn about biosimilar drugs, see “Generics or biosimilars: Inflectra and Remicade” below.
How much Inflectra or Remicade costs depends on the treatment plan your doctor prescribes, your insurance plan, and your pharmacy. It will also depend on the cost of the visit to a healthcare professional to receive infusions of Inflectra or Remicade. You can visit Optum Perks for price estimates of Remicade. For information about the price of Inflectra, talk with your doctor.
Both Inflectra and Remicade are brand-name biologic drugs. Inflectra is a biosimilar form of Remicade. Brand-name medications are often more expensive than biosimilars. To learn about Remicade and its biosimilar forms, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Here’s information about the generic and biosimilar* status for Inflectra and Remicade, as well as details on their active ingredients.
| Inflectra | Remicade | |
| Generic available | no | no |
| Biosimilar* available | no | yes |
| Active ingredients | infliximab-dyyb† | infliximab |
| Drug class | tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker | TNF blocker |
* Inflectra and Remicade are biologics, meaning each drug is made from parts of living cells. This is different from traditional drugs, which are made from chemicals. The active drug in traditional brand-name medications can be copied exactly and made available as generics. Because biologics cannot be copied exactly, they have biosimilars instead of generics.
† Inflectra is a biosimilar version of Remicade. The reason “-dyyb” appears at the end of the drug’s name is to show that the drug is distinct from current or future biosimilar versions.
Inflectra and Remicade both treat similar autoimmune conditions. These drugs can cause some of the same side effects, as well as some different ones. Some of the side effects reported in clinical trials of these drugs are mentioned below.
For more details about side effects of the two drugs, see our side effect articles about Inflectra and Remicade. You can also refer to the Inflectra prescribing information and Remicade prescribing information.
Mild side effects
The following table lists some of the more commonly reported mild side effects of Inflectra and Remicade. The table may also include mild side effects that are less common but that you might have concerns about in some cases.
| Mild side effects | Inflectra | Remicade |
| digestive side effects, such as abdominal pain and nausea | ✓ | ✓ |
| cough | ✓ | ✓ |
| headache | ✓ | ✓ |
| upper respiratory infection, such as sinus infection | ✓ | ✓ |
| fatigue | ✓ | ✓ |
| sore throat | ✓ | ✓ |
| urinary tract infection | ✓ | ✓ |
| mild infusion side effects, such as itching or skin rash | ✓ | ✓ |
| mild allergic reaction | ✓ | ✓ |
These side effects may be temporary, lasting a few days to weeks. If the side effects last longer than that, bother you, or become severe, be sure to talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Serious side effects
The following table lists the reported serious side effects of Inflectra and Remicade.
| Serious side effects | Inflectra | Remicade |
| risk of serious infection* | ✓ | ✓ |
| risk of certain cancers* | ✓ | ✓ |
| heart failure | ✓ | ✓ |
| liver problems, such as liver failure | ✓ | ✓ |
| nervous system problems, such as multiple sclerosis | ✓ | ✓ |
| low levels of certain blood cells, such as platelets and white blood cells | ✓ | ✓ |
| lupus-like syndrome (a condition that causes symptoms similar to those of lupus) | ✓ | ✓ |
| drug-induced psoriasis (new or worsened psoriasis that occurs after receiving Inflectra or Remicade) | ✓ | ✓ |
| severe infusion side effects,† such as vision loss, stroke, and heart attack | ✓ | ✓ |
| severe allergic reaction | ✓ | ✓ |
If you have serious side effects while using Inflectra or Remicade, call your doctor immediately. If the side effects feel life threatening or you believe you’re having a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number right away.
* Inflectra and Remicade have a
† Inflectra and Remicade are given as an IV infusion. For more information, see “Dosages, forms, and administration” below.
Inflectra and Remicade have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat the following in adults.
- Both Inflectra and Remicade are FDA-approved to treat:
- moderate to severe Crohn’s disease when other treatments haven’t helped enough
- moderate to severe ulcerative colitis when other treatments haven’t helped enough
- moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in combination with methotrexate (Trexall, Otrexup, Rasuvo, others)
- ankylosing spondylitis that’s causing symptoms
- psoriatic arthritis that’s causing symptoms
- long-term, severe plaque psoriasis when certain other treatments aren’t recommended
Inflectra or Remicade and children
Inflectra and Remicade have been approved by the FDA to treat the following conditions in children.
- Both Inflectra and Remicade are FDA-approved to treat:
- moderate to severe Crohn’s disease in children ages 6 years and older, when other treatments haven’t helped enough
- moderate to severe ulcerative colitis in children ages 6 years and older, when other treatments haven’t helped enough
Here’s a quick look at the dosage and administration of Inflectra and Remicade for the conditions both drugs are used to treat.
Each dosage is based on a person’s weight in kilograms (kg). One kilogram is about 2.2 pounds (lb). “Milligrams” is abbreviated as “mg” in the tables below.
Note: Your doctor or another healthcare professional will administer Inflectra or Remicade. They’ll give you the drug in a hospital, clinic, or infusion center. For more information about dosage, see our dosage articles about Inflectra and Remicade.
Dosage for Crohn’s disease in adults
Below are the dosages of Inflectra and Remicade for Crohn’s disease in adults.
| Inflectra for Crohn’s disease in adults | Remicade for Crohn’s disease in adults | |
| Form | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion |
| Strength | 100 mg per vial | 100 mg per vial |
| Dose | 5 mg/kg* | 5 mg/kg* |
| Frequency | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 |
| Given by | healthcare professional | healthcare professional |
* For example, a person weighing 70 kg (about 154 lb) would be given 350 mg for each infusion.
Dosage for ulcerative colitis in adults
Below are the dosages of Inflectra and Remicade for ulcerative colitis (UC) in adults.
| Inflectra for UC in adults | Remicade for UC in adults | |
| Form | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion |
| Strength | 100 mg per vial | 100 mg per vial |
| Dose | 5 mg/kg* | 5 mg/kg* |
| Frequency | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 |
| Given by | healthcare professional | healthcare professional |
* For example, a person weighing 70 kg (about 154 lb) would be given 350 mg for each infusion.
Dosage for rheumatoid arthritis in adults
Below are the dosages of Inflectra and Remicade for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults.
| Inflectra for RA in adults | Remicade for RA in adults | |
| Form | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion |
| Strength | 100 mg per vial | 100 mg per vial |
| Dose | 3 mg/kg* | 3 mg/kg* |
| Frequency | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 |
| Given by | healthcare professional | healthcare professional |
* For example, a person weighing 70 kg (about 154 lb) would be given 210 mg for each infusion.
Dosage for ankylosing spondylitis in adults
Below are the dosages of Inflectra and Remicade for ankylosing spondylitis in adults.
| Inflectra for ankylosing spondylitis in adults | Remicade for ankylosing spondylitis in adults | |
| Form | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion |
| Strength | 100 mg per vial | 100 mg per vial |
| Dose | 5 mg/kg* | 5 mg/kg* |
| Frequency | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 6 weeks, starting at week 12 | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 6 weeks, starting at week 12 |
| Given by | healthcare professional | healthcare professional |
* For example, a person weighing 70 kg (about 154 lb) would be given 350 mg for each infusion.
Dosage for psoriatic arthritis in adults
Below are the dosages of Inflectra and Remicade for psoriatic arthritis in adults.
| Inflectra for psoriatic arthritis in adults | Remicade for psoriatic arthritis in adults | |
| Form | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion |
| Strength | 100 mg per vial | 100 mg per vial |
| Dose | 5 mg/kg* | 5 mg/kg* |
| Frequency | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 |
| Given by | healthcare professional | healthcare professional |
* For example, a person weighing 70 kg (about 154 lb) would be given 350 mg for each infusion.
Dosage for plaque psoriasis in adults
Below are the dosages of Inflectra and Remicade for plaque psoriasis in adults.
| Inflectra for plaque psoriasis in adults | Remicade for plaque psoriasis in adults | |
| Form | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion |
| Strength | 100 mg per vial | 100 mg per vial |
| Dose | 5 mg/kg* | 5 mg/kg* |
| Frequency | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 |
| Given by | healthcare professional | healthcare professional |
* For example, a person weighing 70 kg (about 154 lb) would be given 350 mg for each infusion.
Children’s dosage
Inflectra and Remicade are used to treat Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) in children ages 6 years and older in certain situations. Here’s a brief look at the dosage information for these uses.
Dosage for Crohn’s disease in children
Below are the dosages of Inflectra and Remicade for Crohn’s disease in certain children.
| Inflectra for Crohn’s disease in children | Remicade for Crohn’s disease in children | |
| Form | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion |
| Strength | 100 mg per vial | 100 mg per vial |
| Dose | 5 mg/kg* | 5 mg/kg* |
| Frequency | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 |
| Given by | healthcare professional | healthcare professional |
* For example, a child weighing 25 kg (about 55 lb) would be given 125 mg for each infusion.
Dosage for ulcerative colitis in children
Below are the dosages of Inflectra and Remicade for UC in certain children.
| Inflectra for UC in children | Remicade for UC in children | |
| Form | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion | powder inside a vial, which is mixed with liquid to form a solution given by IV infusion |
| Strength | 100 mg per vial | 100 mg per vial |
| Dose | 5 mg/kg* | 5 mg/kg* |
| Frequency | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 | • starting dosage: weeks 0, 2, and 6 • maintenance dosage: every 8 weeks, starting at week 14 |
| Given by | healthcare professional | healthcare professional |
* For example, a child weighing 25 kg (about 55 lb) would be given 125 mg for each infusion.
Below are details about the effectiveness of Inflectra and Remicade.
Prescribing information. For information about how these drugs performed in clinical trials, see the prescribing information for Inflectra and Remicade. Keep in mind that trial results may not apply to your individual health situation.
Treatment guidelines. Another way to see whether a drug is considered effective is to look at treatment guidelines. When an organization includes certain drugs in treatment guidelines, this means that research has shown the drug to be safe and effective.
Infliximab (the active drug in Remicade) is recommended as a treatment option in several guidelines. These include:
- American Gastroenterological Association guidelines for Crohn’s disease
- American College of Gastroenterology guidelines for ulcerative colitis
- American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines for rheumatoid arthritis
- ACR
guidelines for ankylosing spondylitis - ACR and National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF) guidelines for psoriatic arthritis
- American Academy of Dermatology and NPF guidelines for plaque psoriasis
Inflectra contains the active drug infliximab-dyyb, which is a biosimilar of infliximab.* Inflectra is expected to be as safe and effective as Remicade.
* The reason “-dyyb” appears at the end of the drug’s name is to show that the drug is distinct from current or future biosimilar versions. To learn about biosimilar drugs, see “Generics or biosimilars: Inflectra and Remicade” above.
Inflectra and Remicade may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors that affect your health. The two drugs share some of the same precautions, but they also have different ones. Some of these precautions are mentioned below.
Boxed warnings
Inflectra and Remicade have
Risk of serious infection. Inflectra and Remicade may increase the risk of serious infection. Examples of these infections include tuberculosis (TB) and histoplasmosis (a severe fungal infection).
Before and during treatment with Inflectra or Remicade, your doctor will test you for TB. If you have TB in your body, both drugs may cause the bacterium to flare up and cause symptoms. Your doctor can advise you on if Inflectra or Remicade is right for you. If they decide to prescribe either drug, they’ll likely treat any infection you have before you start receiving Inflectra or Remicade.
If you develop TB or another serious infection during Inflectra or Remicade treatment, your doctor may pause your use of the drug until your infection is treated.
Risk of certain cancers. Inflectra and Remicade may increase the risk of specific cancers for certain people, including children and adolescents. Examples of the cancers include skin cancer and lymphoma. In rare cases, these cancers may be fatal. Before receiving Inflectra or Remicade, talk with your doctor about your risk of cancer. They’ll advise you on whether Inflectra, Remicade, or a different treatment is right for you.
For more information about these warnings, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Precautions
In addition to boxed warnings, Inflectra and Remicade have other warnings.
If any of the following medical conditions or other health factors are relevant to you, talk with your doctor before using Inflectra or Remicade.
| Precaution | Inflectra | Remicade |
| if you’ve had an allergic reaction to either drug or any of its ingredients | ✓ | ✓ |
| if you’re pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant | ✓ | ✓ |
| if you’re breastfeeding or thinking about breastfeeding | ✓ | ✓ |
| if you have heart failure | ✓ | ✓ |
| if you have an infection | ✓ | ✓ |
| if you have hepatitis B or tuberculosis, or had either condition in the past | ✓ | ✓ |
| if you have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) | ✓ | ✓ |
| if you have a liver problem, such as liver failure | ✓ | ✓ |
| if you have a nerve problem, such as multiple sclerosis | ✓ | ✓ |
| if you’ve used light therapy for psoriasis in the past | ✓ | ✓ |
Switching between Inflectra and Remicade is possible.
If you’d like to know more about switching between Inflectra and Remicade, talk with your doctor. They can give you additional details and help determine the best course of action for your personal situation. Even if two drugs treat the same condition or are in the same drug class, your body can still respond differently. It’s important that you do not stop, start, or switch any of your drug treatments without your doctor’s recommendation.
A key point to remember when comparing these drugs is that Inflectra is the biosimilar form of Remicade. The dosage, safety, and effectiveness are expected to be the same for both medications.
If you’d like to learn more about Inflectra or Remicade, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They can help answer any questions you have about similarities and differences between the drugs. They can also help determine whether one drug or the other might work well for you.
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Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.