Both are TNF inhibitors. Here is how Humira and Cimzia compare on class, mechanism, dosing, approval and supply.
HUMIRA is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker indicated for: Reducing signs and symptoms, inducing major clinical response, inhibiting the progression of structural damage, and improving physical function in adult patients with moderately to severely active r heumatoid a rthritis . ( 1.1 ) Reducing signs and symptoms of moderately to severely active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis in patients 2 years of age and older. ( 1.2 ) Reducing signs and symptoms, inhibiting the progression of structural damage, and improving physical function in adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis . ( 1.3 ) Reducing signs and symptoms in adult patients with active ankylosing spondylitis . ( 1.4 ) Treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease in adults and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older. ( 1.5 ) Treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis in adu…
CIMZIA is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker indicated for: Reducing signs and symptoms of Crohn's disease and maintaining clinical response in adult patients with moderately to severely active disease who have had an inadequate response to conventional therapy ( 1.1 ) Treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis ( 1.2 ) Treatment of active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis (pJIA) in patients 2 years of age and older ( 1.3 ) Treatment of adult patients with active psoriatic arthritis. ( 1.4 ) Treatment of adults with active ankylosing spondylitis ( 1.5 ) Treatment of adults with active non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis with objective signs of inflammation ( 1.6 ) Treatment of adults with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy ( 1.7 ) 1.1 Crohn's Disease CIMZIA is indicated for reducin…
12.1 Mechanism of Action Adalimumab binds specifically to TNF-alpha and blocks its interaction with the p55 and p75 cell surface TNF receptors. Adalimumab also lyses surface TNF expressing cells in vitro in the presence of complement. Adalimumab does not bind or inactivate lymphotoxin (TNF-beta). TNF is a naturally occurring cytokine that is involved in normal inflammatory and immune responses. Elevated concentrations of TNF are found in the synovial fluid of patients with RA, JIA, PsA, and AS and play an important role in both the pathologic inflammation and the joint destruction that are hallmarks of these diseases. Increased concentrations of TNF are also found in psoriasis plaques. In P…
12.1 Mechanism of Action Certolizumab pegol binds to human TNFα with a KD of 90pM. TNFα is a key pro-inflammatory cytokine with a central role in inflammatory processes. Certolizumab pegol selectively neutralizes TNFα (IC 90 of 4 ng/mL for inhibition of human TNFα in the in vitro L929 murine fibrosarcoma cytotoxicity assay) but does not neutralize lymphotoxin α (TNFβ). Certolizumab pegol cross-reacts poorly with TNF from rodents and rabbits, therefore in vivo efficacy was evaluated using animal models in which human TNFα was the physiologically active molecule. Certolizumab pegol was shown to neutralize membrane-associated and soluble human TNFα in a dose-dependent manner. Incubation of mon…
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Plain-English summaries and drug-class explainers are written and reviewed by the Priya Life Science editorial team, led by Sreepriya Prasannan (MSc Digital Transformation of Life Sciences (Innopharma Education / Griffith College); MSc & BSc Botany). Data is retrieved automatically from the sources above and cross-checked with AI-assisted verification (Anthropic's Claude) — brand and generic names are matched against the exact FDA product record so that a combination product or a different formulation cannot be mistaken for the drug on this page. An editor reviews the result before publication. We describe this in full in our editorial standards and corrections policy. The FDA data on this page was last retrieved on 7 Aug 2026.