Why is Humira Prescribed So Much More Than Hydroxychloroquine for Autoimmune Diseases?

Executive Summary

• Humira is far more frequently prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.
• This article questions why this is.

Introduction

Humira is a far more frequently prescribed drug for autoimmune diseases than hydroxychloroquine. This article compares these two drugs and their effect on autoimmune diseases.

How Widely Prescribed is Humira?

Humira is either the most or one of the most financially successful drugs ever. The following shows the number of reviews for Humira on the website Drugs.com. 

Even though HCQ is a drug used for Crohn’s disease, neither HCQ nor its brand name Plaquenil is listed on the Drugs.com website as a drug for Crohn’s. 

The Similarities in Use of Humira and HCQ or Planquenil

The following quotes from Medical News Today compare these two drugs.

Plaquenil and Humira are both brand-name drugs. A generic form of Plaquenil, called hydroxychloroquine, is currently available. (A generic drug is an exact copy of the active drug in a brand-name medication.)

This second part about generic drugs being the same as brand name drugs is the official FDA position, but it is false. See the articles under the Generic Drugs category for extensive evidence against this claim.

Plaquenil and Humira have different FDA-approved uses, but they’re both used to treat RA.

These drugs haven’t been directly compared in clinical studies. But separate studies have found both Plaquenil and Humira to be effective in treating RA.

Something left out is that Humira can’t be taken long-term without significant side effects eventually occurring.

Costs

The following are the differences in costs between Humira and HCQ or Plaquenil.

Humira is an expensive drug, and the Humira cost is around $78,000 per year.

Observe this pricing from GoodRX at basically $7,000 for two pens of Humira. More on the costs of Humira is covered in the article The Costs and Benefits of Humira.