Remicade to Inflectra switch—loading doses needed?

Hello! Long time lurker, first time poster.

After being on Remicade for a loooong time, insurance has just sent me a notification that I must switch to Inflectra. Obviously, I will work with my doc to try and overturn that.

But, if I do have to take Inflectra, do I have to go thru the whole loading dose regimen? Or do they just substitute the drug on my next regular infusion at the same time frame?

Who has been thru this?

I know people who switched and they didn't need to re do the loading doses.

I met one girl during one of my infusion appointments who said they switched her off remicade and she developed joint pains on the biosimilar (i think they put her on remsima rather than inflectra). So she switched back to remicade and the joint pains went away.

I checked one time and the difference in price between remicade and inflectra isn't that much. I guess it adds up, but it annoys me that insurance companies force patients who have gone through a horrible time and finally found a medication that works to change to something else just to save a few dollars. I could maybe see requiring new patients to use the biosimilar from the beginning. Don't know why they want to force long time patients to switch. Seems almost criminal.

ks1905 said...
Aren’t they basically the same drug? I would assume that you wouldn’t need a loading dose because they are so similar.

I’d fight the switch since Remicade works so well for you.

Spoke to the Infusion Nurse who confirmed no loading doses needed. It’ll be a direct conversion.

straydog said...
The crohns forum had several members that were switched from Remicade to Inflectra & they did not have to do loading doses. The reason their insurance switched them was because Inflectra is cheaper.

Good luck with your appeal.

Yep, it’s a total cost-saving measure. Also heard from the gastro today, and he won’t submit appeal unless the Inflectra doesn’t work. Ugh.

darn that sucks! Fingers crossed for you!