Kiffy said...
Any difference between the two other than how the medication is taken? Injection/infusion?
Both remicade and humira are tnf-alpha blocking biologic medications. Which to choose? It depends on your out of pocket health insurance cost, convenience, and effectiveness.
- Cost: Humira is generally, slightly cheaper but it can vary. Do your homework as the total paid price (divided by insurance plus you) for a 2 month supply can be $3,300.00. You want to choose the medication that your policy covers the best and will cost you the least.
1) Patient assistance programs are available for both (Remistart for remicade, humira has an equivalent program). They can pay everything your insurance does not, ensuring you pay no more than a $50.00 copay. Definitely worth signing up as soon as you decide which to take 
2)Remicade is often slightly more expensive as it is administered in a hospital under nurse supervision, and those hospital copays can come into play in your policy (e.g., not covered until a certain annual deductible is met which is often a thousand or more dollars). Humira is self administered, it is an epidermal (just below the skin) injection.
3) Both medications fall under the speciality pharmacy clauses of your policy, so have higher copays then the pills you currently take, but policies often reward use of their preferred speciality pharmacy with caps of out of pocket expenses to $250 or less, examples such as expressscripts, cvs caremark.
- Convenience: Humira is more convenient, you do it at home, it is quick, but some do report that the shots can hurt. Remicade takes 2-3 hours, requires an IV given by a nurse, not as convenient but painless.
- Effectiveness: Remicade appears to be the most effective medication according to remission and response rates in clinical studies. Remicade was the first biologic approved, so it also has a longer safety profile.
Regardless of the biologic you choose, many here use either remicade or humira and it works well for them. Good luck,