Skyrizi is a brand-name prescription medication. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved it to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults. It’s also approved to treat psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in adults.

The active ingredient in Skyrizi is risankizumab-rzaa, which is a biologic.

Skyrizi is approved to treat plaque psoriasis and PsA in certain situations. For more information about Skyrizi’s uses, refer to this article.

Drug details

Here are some details about Skyrizi:

  • Drug forms:
    • single-use prefilled pen
    • single-use prefilled syringe
  • Biosimilar version: not available

Read on to learn about Skyrizi injections and cost, as well as how to save money on prescriptions.

As with all medications, the price of Skyrizi can vary. Factors that may affect the cost of Skyrizi in treating plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis include:

  • your treatment plan
  • your insurance coverage
  • the pharmacy you use
  • the cost of the visit to your healthcare professional to receive doses of Skyrizi, unless you inject Skyrizi doses yourself at home
  • whether Skyrizi has a savings program (see the “Financial and insurance assistance” section below)

To find out what the cost of Skyrizi will be for you, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider.

Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about drug cost and Skyrizi.

What are the costs of Skyrizi with and without insurance?

The cost of Skyrizi with and without insurance can vary. In general, the costs of prescription medications such as Skyrizi are typically lower with insurance than without it.

If you’d like to learn more about the cost of Skyrizi, talk with your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider. They can give you more information about the cost of Skyrizi with and without insurance coverage.

How can I figure out the cost of Skyrizi per dose, per month, and per year?

You may have questions about the annual cost of Skyrizi if your doctor suggests treatment with the medication.

Your doctor, pharmacist, or insurance provider can tell you more about the cost of Skyrizi per dose and per year.

They can also tell you more about the cost per month you’ll pay when you first begin treatment. For your first two doses, you’ll take a Skyrizi dose once per month. After your first two months of taking the drug, you’ll only need a dose every 12 weeks. The cost per year may be more useful at this point, since you’ll only pick up a prescription every 12 weeks instead of monthly.

Skyrizi is only available as a brand-name drug. It’s a type of biologic drug that doesn’t come in a biosimilar version.

A biosimilar medication is a medication that is similar to a brand-name biologic medication (the parent medication). Biologic medications such as Skyrizi are often called biologics.

Biologic medications are made using living cells. This makes it impossible to make exact copies of these medications. On the other hand, generics are traditional medications made from chemicals. It’s possible to make exact copies of brand-name medications, which are called generics. A generic refers to an exact copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication.

Biosimilars are considered to be just as safe and effective as their parent drug. And as with generics, biosimilars tend to cost less than brand-name medications.

Why are costs different for brand-name drugs vs. generic drugs?

Brand-name drugs can be expensive because of the research needed to test their safety and effectiveness. The manufacturer of a brand-name drug can sell it for up to 20 years. When the brand-name drug’s patent expires, multiple manufacturers can create generic versions. This marketplace competition may lead to lower costs for generics. Also, because generics contain the same ingredients as brand-name drugs, they don’t require the same costly testing.

If you take Skyrizi long term, you may be able to lower its cost in the following ways.

Using a mail-order pharmacy

Skyrizi may be available through a mail-order pharmacy. Using this type of service may help lower the drug’s cost and allow you to receive your medication without leaving home. Some Medicare plans may help cover the cost of mail-order medications.

If you’d like to learn more about mail-order pharmacy options, talk with your insurance provider.

If you don’t have health insurance, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. They may be able to suggest online pharmacy options that could work for you.

If you need financial support to pay for Skyrizi, or if you need help understanding your insurance coverage, help is available. For example:

  • A program called Skyrizi Complete is available for Skyrizi. For more information and to find out if you’re eligible for support, call 866-759-7494 or visit the program website.
  • Some websites provide details about drug assistance programs, ways to make the most of your insurance coverage, and links to savings cards and other services. Two such websites are:

To learn more about saving money on prescriptions, check out this article.

Now that you’ve learned about cost and Skyrizi, you may still have some questions. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist, who can provide personalized guidance about cost issues related to Skyrizi. If you have health insurance, you’ll need to talk with your insurance provider to learn the actual cost you would pay for Skyrizi.

Here are some other resources you may find helpful:

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.