Remicade (Infliximab) for Psoriasis

What Members Say Top Tips Side Effects Copay Help FAQs

Remicade (infliximab) is a prescription medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat adults with chronic severe plaque psoriasis.

What Members Say

MHT logo These insights are based on 636 comments about Remicade from MyPsoriasisTeam members. These are the experiences of a small number of people and are not meant to be medical advice.

Benefits:

Skin plaques often improve, and sometimes clear completely after the loading doses.
Joint pain, stiffness, and mobility often improve, sometimes within the first few infusions.
Dose timing or dose increases can help when benefits wear off before the next infusion.

Considerations:

Infusion reactions can happen during or after treatment, including rash, chest tightness, or breathing problems.
Serious infections are an important risk, including pneumonia, shingles, and other lung infections.
Infusion appointments take planning, including travel time, transportation, and several hours at the clinic.

How Remicade Works and How It’s Taken

Remicade is a type of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker that works by blocking TNF-alpha, a protein that helps drive inflammation in the body. In plaque psoriasis, this helps reduce inflammation and calm the overactive immune response that leads to severe skin symptoms.

Doctors prescribe Remicade for adults with chronic severe plaque psoriasis. This means psoriasis that is widespread or disabling. It is for adults who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy, when other treatments like this are less appropriate. Systemic therapy is treatment that works throughout the body. Phototherapy is treatment with light.

Remicade is given as an intravenous (IV) infusion. Each infusion is given over at least two hours by a healthcare professional.

Typical Dosing for Plaque Psoriasis

The recommended starting dose of Remicade for psoriasis is 5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Your doctor will calculate the dose based on your weight.

Dosing schedule is:

At the start of treatment
Two weeks later
Six weeks after the first dose
Every eight weeks after that for maintenance treatment

This information is based on the prescribing information, but your healthcare provider may tailor your treatment plan. Always follow their guidance.

Top Advice From Members on Remicade

MHT logo These insights are based on 636 comments about Remicade from MyPsoriasisTeam members.

Members who use Remicade often say it helps to plan ahead for infusion days, keep track of how symptoms change between doses, and stay in close touch with their care team about side effects or infections. Many members also mention that results can take time, and that practical issues like cost, transportation, and scheduling can make a big difference in sticking with treatment.

1

Prepare for infusion day and the day after.
“I’m finding hydrating beforehand, like really hydrating. I take Liquid IV two days before. It helps them stick me. Cheese and crackers and fruit chews help with nausea, and comfy clothes help with the long appointment.”
2

Talk to your doctor if it seems to wear off early.
“By the fourth week after the infusion my symptoms begin to return with increased joint and muscle pain along with fatigue.”
3

Ask about coverage and practical support if cost is a problem.
“If you have good insurance, ask about coverage because Remicade can be very expensive without it. Try calling the pharmaceutical company, too. Some people may qualify for savings programs that can lower the cost, sometimes to as little as $5 per infusion.”

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Remicade Side Effects

In clinical studies of Remicade for chronic severe plaque psoriasis in adults, the most common side effects were:

Infections (such as upper respiratory infections, sinus infections, and sore throat)
Infusion-related reactions
Headache
Abdominal pain

Serious Side Effects and Warnings

Remicade can cause serious side effects that may require immediate medical attention. These include:

Serious infections — These include tuberculosis (TB), invasive fungal infections, and other infections that can spread through the body.
Lymphoma and other cancers — The risk for these is higher.
Rare hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma — This has been reported mostly in adolescents and young adults with Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis who were treated with TNF blockers.
Hepatitis B virus reactivation — The virus can become active again in people who carry it.
Liver injury — This includes hepatitis, jaundice, cholestasis, and, rarely, liver failure.
Heart failure — New or worsening heart failure is a risk.
Serious blood problems — These include low white blood cell levels, low platelets, or pancytopenia, which can raise infection and bleeding risk.
Severe allergic reactions — Anaphylaxis can cause swelling and trouble breathing.
Serious infusion-related heart or brain events — These include heart attack, stroke, abnormal heart rhythms, or major blood pressure changes during or within 24 hours after an infusion.
Nervous system problems — These include demyelinating disorders, which affect the protective covering of nerves, such as optic neuritis or Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Lupuslike syndrome — This immune reaction can cause symptoms similar to lupus.
New or worsening psoriasis — Psoriasis can start or flare during treatment.

Get medical help right away if you think you are having a serious reaction.

How To Save on Remicade

Janssen Biotech, the manufacturer of Remicade, offers the J&J withMe Savings Program for Remicade. Eligible people with commercial insurance may pay as little as $5 per infusion. If you have government insurance or no insurance, the program also provides information about other financial assistance options that may be available.

The J&J withMe Savings Program for Remicade also offers help understanding insurance coverage for Remicade, enrolling in the savings program, managing program benefits, and accessing treatment support resources.

To learn more, visit the J&J withMe Savings Program website or call 877-227-3728.

What To Know Before Taking Remicade

Before starting Remicade, your doctor will test you for active TB, latent (inactive) TB, and hepatitis B infection.

Before starting Remicade, make sure your vaccines are up to date. You should not receive live vaccines while taking Remicade.

Before starting Remicade, tell your doctor if you:

Think you have an infection
Are being treated for an infection
Have signs of an infection, such as fever, cough, or flu-like symptoms
Have any open cuts or sores on your body
Get a lot of infections or have infections that keep coming back
Have diabetes or an immune system problem
Have liver problems
Have TB, or have been in close contact with someone with TB
Live, have lived, or have traveled in areas where certain fungal infections are common, such as the Ohio and Mississippi River valleys
Have or have had hepatitis B
Have or have had any type of cancer
Have had phototherapy for psoriasis
Have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a specific type of lung disease
Have or have had a nervous system condition, such as multiple sclerosis or Guillain-Barré syndrome
Have numbness or tingling
Have had a seizure
Have recently received or are scheduled to receive a vaccine
Use other biologic medicines that treat the same condition as Remicade, including abatacept (Orencia), anakinra (Kineret), tocilizumab (Actemra), or similar medicines

Tell your doctor if you have any allergies to infliximab or any ingredients in Remicade. Do not take Remicade if you have had a severe allergic reaction to infliximab products, any inactive ingredients in Remicade, or any murine (mouse) proteins.

Tell your doctor about all medicines you take, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Tell your doctor if you have moderate or severe heart failure. People with moderate or severe heart failure should not receive Remicade at doses higher than 5 milligrams per kilogram of body weight.

Remicade is also FDA approved to treat Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and psoriatic arthritis.

If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding while taking Remicade, talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits.

If you received Remicade during pregnancy, tell your baby’s doctor before your baby gets any vaccines. Remicade may increase your baby’s risk of infection.

Your baby should not receive live vaccines for at least six months after birth. Live vaccines include Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), rotavirus, and other live vaccines. Some live vaccines can cause serious infections that may lead to death.

Community FAQs

These answers are fact-checked by our editorial staff.

How effective is Remicade for plaque psoriasis?

In three studies of adults with chronic, stable plaque psoriasis, people received Remicade 5 milligrams per kilogram or placebo. A placebo is a treatment with no active medicine.

At week 10, 75 percent to 88 percent of people who received Remicade 5 milligrams per kilogram reached PASI 75. This means their psoriasis severity improved by at least 75 percent.

By comparison, 2 percent to 6 percent of people who received placebo reached PASI 75.

These results show that many people had major skin improvement by 10 weeks, but not everyone did.

How effective is Remicade for psoriatic arthritis?

In a study of 200 adults with active psoriatic arthritis, people received Remicade 5 milligrams per kilogram or placebo.

At week 14, 58 percent of people who received Remicade reached ACR 20, compared with 11 percent of people who received placebo.

At 6 months, people who received Remicade had better results than people who received placebo:

ACR 20 — 54 percent with Remicade compared with 16 percent with placebo
ACR 50 — 41 percent with Remicade compared with 4 percent with placebo
ACR 70 — 27 percent with Remicade compared with 2 percent with placebo

ACR 20, ACR 50, and ACR 70 are ways to measure improvement in arthritis signs and symptoms.

In people who also had psoriasis affecting at least 3 percent of their body, 64 percent of people who received Remicade reached PASI 75 at week 14, compared with 2 percent of people who received placebo. PASI 75 means psoriasis severity improved by at least 75 percent.

The study also showed that Remicade helped slow joint damage and improve physical function in adults with psoriatic arthritis.

Should I take Remicade for psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis if I have an infection?

Remicade should not be started if you have an active infection. This includes an infection in one area of the body that is medically important.

Remicade can raise the risk of serious infections. These include TB, fungal infections, bacterial infections, viral infections, and other infections that may happen when the immune system is weakened.

Your doctor should watch you for signs of infection during and after treatment with Remicade. If you develop a serious infection or sepsis, Remicade should be stopped. Sepsis is a severe reaction to infection that can be life-threatening.