Simponi (Golimumab) for Psoriatic Arthritis

What Members Say Top Tips Side Effects Copay Help FAQs

Simponi (golimumab) is a prescription medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat adults with active psoriatic arthritis.

What Members Say

MHT logo These insights are based on 297 comments about Simponi from MyPsoriasisTeam members. These are the experiences of a small number of people and are not meant to be medical advice.

Benefits:

Joint pain, stiffness, and swelling often improve.
Skin plaques, scalp symptoms, and nail changes sometimes improve.
At-home self-injection avoids infusion center visits.

Considerations:

Full benefit can take weeks or months.
Relief sometimes wears off before the next dose.
Serious infections are a key risk and may require stopping treatment.

How Simponi Works and How It’s Taken

Simponi is a type of biologic medication called a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker. It works by binding to TNF-alpha, a protein involved in inflammation. By blocking TNF-alpha, Simponi helps reduce inflammation.

In psoriatic arthritis, this helps reduce inflammation in the joints and surrounding tissues.

Doctors prescribe Simponi to treat adults with active psoriatic arthritis. It may be used alone or with methotrexate.

Simponi is given as an injection under the skin. With proper training and guidance from a healthcare provider, it may be given at home. Adults and children ages 12 and older may self-inject with the prefilled syringe. Only adults may self-inject with the SmartJect autoinjector.

Common injection sites include the front of the thighs and the lower belly area. Do not inject within 2 inches of the belly button. Choose a different injection site each time. Do not inject into skin that is tender, bruised, red or discolored, scaly, or hard. Avoid areas with scars or stretch marks.

Typical Dosing for Psoriatic Arthritis

The recommended dose of Simponi for psoriatic arthritis is 50 milligrams given by injection under the skin once a month.

It may be given alone or with methotrexate.

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 Simponi

MHT logo These insights are based on 297 comments about Simponi from MyPsoriasisTeam members.

Members who use Simponi often say it helps to set realistic expectations, keep track of how you feel between doses, and stay in close contact with your care team about side effects or changes in symptom control. Many members also mention practical issues like infusion anxiety, cost, and scheduling as important parts of making treatment work in real life.

1

Be patient. Improvement can take time.
“It had no great improvement until the third month. I don’t take pain meds or prednisone anymore. My pain now is about a three when active and a two when I’m resting. They say the true benefit of Simponi is at six months.”
2

Talk to your doctor if it wears off before the next dose.
“I’ve used Simponi, but I found it didn’t last the full month in between shots.”
3

Find ways to make injection site pain easier.
“For your injection site reaction, try putting a cloth-covered ice pack on the site after you inject. I usually do 15 on, 15 off for at least an hour. That lessens the redness, swelling, and itching. Also speak to your prescriber.”

Connect with others who understand life with psoriasis. Join MyPsoriasisTeam for free.

Simponi Side Effects

In clinical studies of Simponi for adult people with active psoriatic arthritis, the most common side effects occurred in about 5 percent to 16 percent of people. These include:

Upper respiratory tract infection
Nasopharyngitis (common cold symptoms)
Injection site reactions, such as discoloration, pain, or swelling where the shot is given

Serious Side Effects and Warnings

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

Serious infections — Severe infections can occur, including tuberculosis (TB) and invasive fungal infections, because Simponi can lower immune system activity.
Cancer — This can include lymphoma and certain skin cancers.
Congestive heart failure — New or worsening heart failure can occur.
Demyelinating disorders — Nerve and brain conditions can occur, including multiple sclerosis and Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Hepatitis B virus reactivation — The virus can become active again in people who carry hepatitis B.
Lupuslike syndrome — An immune reaction can cause symptoms similar to lupus.
Hematologic cytopenia — Serious blood problems, such as low blood cell counts, can occur.
Hypersensitivity reactions — Serious allergic reactions can occur, including anaphylaxis, which can cause trouble breathing, swelling, or hives.
Interstitial lung disease — Inflammation and scarring in the lungs can cause cough or dyspnea (shortness of breath).

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

How To Save on Simponi

Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of Simponi, offers the J&J withMe Savings Program. Eligible people with commercial insurance may pay as little as $5 per injection.

The J&J withMe Savings Program also offers help checking eligibility, enrolling in the program, and getting an electronic savings card that can be saved to a mobile wallet.

To learn more, visit the J&J withMe patient support page or call 877-227-3728.

What To Know Before Taking Simponi

Before starting Simponi, your doctor will test you for:

Active TB and latent (hidden) TB infection
Hepatitis B infection

Your doctor will review your vaccination history and, if possible, make sure you are up to date on age-appropriate vaccines. Do not receive live vaccines while taking Simponi.

Tell your doctor if you have any allergies to golimumab or any ingredients in Simponi. Tell your doctor if you are sensitive to rubber or latex. The needle cover on the prefilled syringe contains dry natural rubber.

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

Be sure to tell your doctor if you take:

Abatacept (Orencia) or anakinra (Kineret)
Other TNF blocker medicines, such as adalimumab (Humira), certolizumab pegol (Cimzia), etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade)
Rituximab (Rituxan) or tocilizumab (Actemra)

Tell your doctor if you:

Think you have an infection
Are being treated for an infection
Have symptoms of an infection, such as fever, cough, chills, weight loss, or feeling very tired
Get infections often or have infections that keep coming back
Have diabetes, HIV, or a weakened immune system
Have TB or have been in close contact with someone who has TB
Live, have lived, or have traveled to areas where certain fungal infections are common
Have or have had hepatitis B
Have or have had any type of cancer
Have heart failure
Have or have had a nervous system disorder, such as multiple sclerosis or Guillain-Barré syndrome
Have recently received or are scheduled to receive a vaccine

Simponi is also FDA approved to treat moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and active ankylosing spondylitis in adults.

If you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible. Then return to your regular dosing schedule.

If you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding while taking Simponi, talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits. If you used Simponi during pregnancy, live vaccines are not recommended for your baby for six months after your last Simponi dose.

Community FAQs

These answers are fact-checked by our editorial staff.

How effective is Simponi for psoriatic arthritis?

In a study of 405 adults with moderately to severely active psoriatic arthritis, 51 percent of people who took Simponi 50 milligrams had an ACR20 response at week 14. This was compared with 9 percent of people who took placebo.

People in the study took Simponi with or without methotrexate. An ACR20 response means a person had at least a 20 percent improvement in tender and swollen joints and other measures of psoriatic arthritis.

These results show that Simponi helped reduce signs and symptoms of psoriatic arthritis in some people. Not everyone responded.

How long does Simponi take to work for psoriatic arthritis?

In a psoriatic arthritis study, the main measure of improvement was checked at week 14. At that time, more people taking Simponi had improvement than people taking placebo.

The study results also say that ACR20 responses were seen as early as week 4 in some people taking Simponi 50 milligrams with methotrexate. It does not say exactly when a person may first notice symptom relief. Not everyone responds at the same time.