A Complete Overview of Abrilada

If you are suffering from chronic autoimmune conditions like arthritis, plaque psoriasis, or Crohn’s disease, drugs like Abrilada can help. In this article, we will explore everything you need to know about Abrilada, including its dosing, side effects, cost, and much more.

What Is Abrilada?

Abrilada (adalimumab-afzb) is an FDA-approved prescription medicine used to treat certain autoimmune conditions. On November 18, 2019, the FDA approved Abrilada as a biosimilar to another drug called Humira. Later, on October 5, 2023, the FDA designated Abrilada as interchangeable with Humira [1]. This means that there is no meaningful difference between Abrilada and Humira. You can take this medication instead of Humira if you want.

Abrilada can treat certain kinds of arthritis, plaque psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, uveitis, and hidradenitis suppurativa. It belongs to a group of drugs called TNF inhibitors, and it works by blocking the action of a protein called TNF (tumor necrosis factor), which causes inflammation.

What Is Abrilada Used To Treat?

Abrilada can treat the following conditions [2][3]:

Crohn’s Disease: Crohn’s disease is a lifelong condition that causes inflammation in your digestive tract. Doctors use Abrilada to treat moderate to severe Crohn’s disease in adults and children aged 6 years or older. 

Ulcerative Colitis: Ulcerative colitis is a long-term disease in which your colon and rectum become inflamed. It causes symptoms like diarrhea, stomach pain, and rectal pain. Doctors use Abrilada to treat adults with ulcerative colitis. However, it is not known if this medication is effective in patients who stopped responding to or cannot tolerate anti-TNF medications.

Plaque Psoriasis: This is a skin condition that causes raised, inflamed, scaly patches called plaques to appear on your body. Doctors can use Abrilada to treat adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. You can take this medication if you are ready for systemic therapy or phototherapy and your doctor thinks that other systemic therapies are less appropriate. 

Hidradenitis Suppurativa: This is a painful, long-term skin condition. It causes skin abscesses and scarring. Doctors can use Abrilada to treat adults with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa.

Uveitis: Uveitis refers to inflammation inside your eye that causes pain, blurry vision, and redness. Doctors use Abrilada in adult patients to treat uveitis that is not caused by an infection. This medication can treat 3 kinds of uveitis: intermediate (inflammation in the middle part of the eye), posterior (inflammation in the back of the eye), and panuveitis (inflammation in all parts of the eye).

Abrilada can also reduce the signs and symptoms of some conditions, such as:

Rheumatoid Arthritis: Doctors can use Abrilada to reduce the signs and symptoms of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis in adult patients. You can use it alone, with methotrexate, or with certain other medicines. Abrilada can protect your bones and joints from further damage and improve your capacity to carry out day-to-day life.

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Doctors can use Abrilada to reduce the signs and symptoms of moderate to severe juvenile idiopathic arthritis in patients 2 years of age or older. 

Psoriatic Arthritis: Abrilada can reduce the signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis in adult patients. It may protect your bones from further damage and improve your ability to carry out daily tasks. 

Ankylosing Spondylitis: Abrilada can reduce the signs and symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis in adult patients.

How Does Abrilada Work?

Normally, your immune system defends you from diseases by attacking various viruses and bacteria. But, in the case of autoimmune diseases, your immune system mistakenly attacks your own cells and organs. This causes symptoms of inflammation in your body. A protein called TNF (tumor necrosis factor) causes inflammation in autoimmune disorders.

Abrilada works by blocking the activity of TNF, which helps reduce pain and inflammation in autoimmune disorders.

Side Effects

Like any other medicine, Abrilada can also have some side effects. Here are some common and severe side effects [3]:

Common Side Effects

Common side effects of Abrilada include:

• Pain, redness, swelling, or itching at the injection site
• Sinus infection
• Headache
• Rash

Severe Side Effects

Severe side effects of Abrilada include:

Severe Infections: Abrilada can increase your chances of having severe infections, including tuberculosis (TB) and infections caused by viruses, fungi, or bacteria. During your treatment, your doctor will regularly monitor you for the signs and symptoms of TB.

Cancer: Abrilada may increase your chances of getting lymphoma or other types of cancer. 

Hepatitis B Infection: If you are a carrier of the hepatitis B virus, Abrilada may make the virus become active again. Symptoms include tiredness, dark urine, vomiting, muscle aches, skin or eyes that look yellow, fever, and chills.

Heart Problems: Abrilada can cause heart failure or make existing heart problems worse. Symptoms include shortness of breath, sudden weight gain, and swelling of your feet or ankles.

Liver Problems: Abrilada can cause liver problems. Symptoms include tiredness, appetite loss, vomiting, skin or eyes that look yellow, and stomach pain.

Nervous System Problems: In rare cases, Abrilada can cause nervous system diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS) and optic neuritis. Symptoms include weakness in your arms and legs, dizziness, numbness or tingling, and vision problems.

Please note that this is not a complete list of all possible side effects. Contact your doctor immediately if you encounter any severe side effects of Abrilada.

Dosing

The dosage of Abrilada depends on several factors, including your age, condition, and medical history. Your doctor will determine the right dosage for you based on your situation. You will receive the medicine by injection under your skin. Here are the usual recommended dosages of Abrilada [2]:

Rheumatoid Arthritis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis: The usual recommended adult dose is 40 mg every other week. If you do not take methotrexate, you can increase the dosage to 40 mg every week or 80 mg every other week.

Crohn’s Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, Hidradenitis Suppurativa: The usual recommended dose for adults is 160 mg on Day 1. After that, patients will receive 80 mg on Day 15 and 40 mg every other week starting on Day 29.

Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Children aged 2 years or older can take Abrilada. Children weighing 10 kg to less than 15 kg can have 10 mg every other week. Those weighing 15 kg to less than 30 kg can have 20 mg every other week. Children weighing 30 kg or more can have 40 mg every other week.

Plaque Psoriasis, Uveitis: Adults will have an initial dose of 80 mg. Then, they will receive 40 mg every other week starting one week after the initial dose.

Cost

An Abrilada single-dose 40 mg/0.8 ml prefilled pen costs about $1,470 [4]. However, the actual cost of treatment will depend on your insurance coverage, location, treatment plan, and the pharmacy you visit.

FAQs

1. Can I use Abrilada instead of Humira?

Yes. It is an interchangeable biosimilar to Humira. This means that there is no meaningful difference between Abrilada and Humira in terms of safety, effectiveness, and mechanism of action. So, you can use this medication instead of Humira if you want.

2. Can I take Abrilada if I have an infection?

No. You should not use this medication if you have an active infection unless your doctor says it is okay. Abrilada can lower your immune system’s ability to fight foreign pathogens like viruses and bacteria. So, it can increase your risk of getting infections, including tuberculosis.

3. How long do I need to take Abrilada?

This medication is mainly used in the long term to treat chronic autoimmune diseases. Your doctor will choose the length of your therapy based on your response to the treatment and any side effects you may have.