Enbrel vs. Humira: Which One is Right for You?

There are many different medications available for people suffering from auto-immune diseases, and it’s difficult to choose which one is right for you. Today, we’ll focus on two of the main options: Enbrel vs Humira.

Auto-immune illnesses, including Crohn’s Disease (CD), Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Psoriasis, and Hidradentis Suppurativa (HS), are notoriously difficult to treat. Unlike an infection, which occurs due to colonization or invasion of harmful bacteria and viruses, the cause of the disease originates within the patient’s own body instead.

Essentially, the immune system either functions at an abnormally low rate, or it goes into overdrive, attacking the body’s own tissues instead.

Prescription Enbrel and Humira for Auto-Immune Illness

Drugs like Enbrel and Humira help patients with autoimmune disorders by blocking tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in the body. TNF plays a critical role in immune function; by reducing its presence, attacks on tissue lessen, it reduces damaging symptoms like inflammation. This protects patients from permanent damage while increasing comfort.

Although they fall into the same class of drugs, and share certain properties, which is better between Enbrel vs Humira? We’ll help you get to know these medications and decide which one is right for you in this post.

What to Know About Enbrel

Enbrel (etanercept) is a biopharmaceutical drug that inhibits the production of TNF in the body. It helps patients with auto-immune diseases recover from active flares or disease while also slowing, or otherwise preventing, permanent damage to joints, skin, and other organs. It also suppresses overactive immune responses to stop the body from attacking its own tissues.

In most cases, Embrel comes as an injectable solution. If you are prescribed this drug, your doctor or pharmacist will likely handle the injection process for you. Over time, most patients are given the option to self-inject at home via a sterile syringe or SureClick® Autoinjector.

Dose can vary dramatically depending on:

• The age of the patient
• The severity of disease
• Other medical conditions
• Even treatment response

Because Enbrel is an immunosuppressant, it should be taken at the lowest possible dose to achieve results.

Enbrel Prescriptions

Enbrel is approved by the FDA for the treatment of:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
• Psoriatic arthritis (PA)
• Polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Plaque psoriasis

Clinical trials are currently exploring whether it is an effective treatment for extended oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (eoJIA) and enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA). However, these treatments are still considered “off-label.” Thus, Enbrel may or may not be an option for you if you suffer from one of these diseases.

Enbrel Effectiveness

When used to treat one of the five FDA-approved conditions listed above, Enbrel has a remarkably high rate of effectiveness. For example, Amgen reports that patients with RA who were treated with a combination of Enbrel and methotrexate experienced almost universal remission with no progression of joint damage. This is why it is considered a “first line” treatment for the condition.

Studies show that Enbrel’s efficacy in treating other conditions (e.g., JIA and PA) varies depending on the patient and the condition. Still, the data is promising. Enbrel reports that 80 percent of all PA patients saw a significant improvement in symptoms.

Patients being treated for AS, on the other hand, reported a 36 to 46 percent improvement in back pain after taking Enbrel for at least 12 weeks. JIA patients also benefited significantly, with 94 percent reporting far fewer flares and an overall reduction in daily symptoms of the disease.

What to Know About Humira

Humira is the brand name for a drug called adalimumab. Like Enbrel, it works by suppressing TNF levels in the body, a substance that plays a critical role in overall immune function. This can help:

• Reduce inflammation
• Damage to organs and joints
• Pain
• Other associated symptoms of certain auto-immune diseases

Humira is also typically delivered by injection, rather than by oral liquid, pill, or lozenge. The company provides their own automatic injection system and/or pre-filled syringes; your pharmacist or physician can help you decide which is best for your needs.

Like Enbrel, your pharmacist or doctor will need to show you how to inject the drug safely before you inject it on your own at home.

Humira’s dose varies depending on the condition being treated. Most patients begin with a lower starting dose; this protects the patient and ensures treatment can be stopped if rare side effects arise.

Humira Prescriptions

Humira is FDA-approved to treat:

• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA)
• Psoriatic arthritis (PA)
• Ankylosing spondylitis (AS)
• Crohn’s disease (IBD/CD)
• Psoriasis
• Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)
• Ulcerative colitis (UC)
• Hidradenitis suppurativa

It is also sometimes used to treat particularly difficult cases of uveitis, a condition involving inflammation of the eye.

Humira is one of the most common biologics prescribed for Crohn’s Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC).  In fact, it is considered the “first line” choice for autoimmune gastrointestinal disorders of this nature.

Humira Effectiveness

As with Enbrel, Humira’s effectiveness depends on the patient, the condition being treated, and whether or not the drug is taken in combination with other medicines, such as methotrexate.

According to RheumatoidArthritis.org, around 20 percent of patients taking Humira for RA experienced a clinical response within six months. More than 60 percent of all patients were satisfied with the level of improvement they experienced.

The manufacturer’s clinical data also supports the use of Humira in Crohn’s Disease, claiming that most patients experienced “rapid remission” in as little as four weeks after starting the drug.

Results in JIA treatment were also promising, with most patients reporting a minimum 30 percent drop in flare frequency and an overall reduction in symptoms like pain, inflammation, and joint damage.

What is also interesting is that clinical data also shows that Humira was particularly useful for patients who lost response to other biologics. This may make it a good choice for treatment-resistant patients.

Enbrel vs Humira: Which is Best?

Truthfully, there are no easy answers to the question of comparison. Your own unique health picture will significantly influence whether or not either of these drugs is right for you.

Treating auto-immune diseases with biologics (of any kind) can be a tricky business; not every patient responds, and it isn’t always clear why. Sometimes, a bit of trial and error is needed to find the right solution, regardless of your condition.

Enbrel vs Humira: they are similar, and fall into the same drug category (biologics), yet they are not identical.

Here are the most common differences.

— Enbrel

• Enbrel can be taken up to twice a week, while the dosing schedule for Humira is much more patient specific.
• It is generally used once per week via a pre-filled syringe or auto-injection pen. Humira may be taken once per week or once every other week.
• If you find Enbrel too expensive, a “biosimilar alternative” called Erelzi is available to the US market. Biosimilar alternatives to Humira do exist, but are not yet available for use in the United States.

— Humira

• Humira comes in a much broader variety of doses than Enbrel.  This may make it easier to treat particularly sensitive patients and/or special patient groups.
• At least one study identified a higher risk for injection site burning, pain, and swelling in patients who took Humira versus those who took Enbrel. This may or may not preclude you from being able to safely utilize the drug.
• Only Humira is FDA-approved to treat Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, and uveitis.

— Both

• Both drugs treat juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis, and plaque psoriasis.

Common Questions About Enbrel vs Humira

Conclusion

TNF-blocking drugs are effective, but they should only be taken under the watchful eye of a physician or specialist. Never take Enbrel or Humira unless you have a prescription, and don’t allow someone else to take your medication, either.

While both drugs are safe and effective when prescribed to the right patient, they aren’t necessarily the right choice for every person. Depending on your lifestyle, there are other options for you to reduce pain.

Speak with your pharmacist if you have additional questions after reading this article.