Two medicines, side by side
Etanercept vs golimumab
Etanercept and golimumab are both labeled for rheumatoid arthritis. Drugs@FDA records approvals of etanercept since 1998 and of golimumab since 2009. Pharmacies paid $2,084.14 per mL (Enbrel 25 mg/0.5 mL syringe) and $12,890.32 per mL (Simponi 50 mg/0.5 mL pen injec) (NADAC, October 7, 2026); the strengths differ, so the two prices are not like for like. How each works, in its label's words: Etanercept, “TNF is a naturally occurring cytokine that is involved in normal inflammatory and immune responses.”; Golimumab, “Golimumab is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to both the soluble and transmembrane bioactive forms of human TNFα.”
Check it at the source: the etanercept FDA label on DailyMed (effective May 11, 2026); the golimumab FDA label on DailyMed (effective September 9, 2025).
Highlights of the etanercept record
Etanercept (Enbrel) · label of May 11, 2026
SERIOUS INFECTIONS and MALIGNANCIES WARNING: SERIOUS INFECTIONS and MALIGNANCIES See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning. SERIOUS INFECTIONS Increased risk of serious infections leading to hospitalization or death, including tuberculosis (TB), bacterial sepsis, invasive fungal infections (such as histoplasmosis), and infections due to other opportunistic pathogens. ( 5.1 ) Enbrel should be discontinued if a patient develops a serious infection or sepsis during treatment.
Used for
From the label: indicationsEnbrel is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker indicated for the treatment of: Adult patients with: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) ( 1.1 ) Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) ( 1.3 ) Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) ( 1.4 ) Plaque Psoriasis (PsO) ( 1.5 ) Pediatric patients with: Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (pJIA), 2 years of age or older ( 1.2 ) Juvenile Psoriatic Arthritis, 2 years of age or older (JPsA) ( 1.6 ) […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- November 2, 1998
- Generic labelers
- none listed
- Pharmacy cost
- $2,084.14 per mL
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Highlights of the golimumab record
Golimumab (Simponi) · label of September 9, 2025
SERIOUS INFECTIONS and MALIGNANCY WARNING: SERIOUS INFECTIONS and MALIGNANCY See full prescribing information for complete boxed warning. Serious infections leading to hospitalization or death including tuberculosis (TB), bacterial sepsis, invasive fungal (such as histoplasmosis), and other opportunistic infections have occurred in patients receiving SIMPONI ARIA ( 5.1 ). Discontinue SIMPONI ARIA if a patient develops a serious infection or sepsis ( 5.1 ).
Used for
From the label: indicationsSIMPONI ARIA is a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blocker indicated for the treatment of: Adult patients with moderately to severely active Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) in combination with methotrexate ( 1.1 ) Active Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) in patients 2 years of age and older ( 1.2 ) Adult patients with active Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) ( 1.3 ) Active polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (pJIA) in patients 2 […]
On the market
- Earliest approval on file
- April 24, 2009
- Generic labelers
- none listed
- Pharmacy cost
- $12,890.32 per mL
Supply and safety
- Shortage
- No current entry
- Recalls
- 0
Source: FDA drug labels via openFDA (Etanercept label of May 11, 2026, Golimumab label of September 9, 2025); NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA, NADAC, FDA shortages and recalls (October 8, 2026)
How do etanercept and golimumab differ on the record?
How each works, in its label's words: Etanercept, “TNF is a naturally occurring cytokine that is involved in normal inflammatory and immune responses.”; Golimumab, “Golimumab is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to both the soluble and transmembrane bioactive forms of human TNFα.”
Both are in FDA's class tumor necrosis factor blockers.
Half-life, in each label's words: Etanercept, “12.3 Pharmacokinetics After administration of 25 mg of Enbrel by a single SC injection to 25 patients with RA, a mean ± …”; Golimumab, “The mean terminal half-life was estimated to be 12 ± 3 days in healthy subjects and the mean terminal half-life in RA …”
Both labels carry a boxed warning; the records quote them.
| Etanercept | Golimumab | |
|---|---|---|
| Labeled for | Rheumatoid arthritis, Psoriasis | Rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis |
| Pharmacologic class | Tumor Necrosis Factor Blocker | Tumor Necrosis Factor Blocker |
| How it works (label) | TNF is a naturally occurring cytokine that is involved in normal inflammatory and immune responses. It plays an important role in the inflammatory processes of RA, polyarticular JIA, PsA, and AS and the resulting joint pathology. | Golimumab is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to both the soluble and transmembrane bioactive forms of human TNFα. |
| Half-life (label) | 12.3 Pharmacokinetics After administration of 25 mg of Enbrel by a single SC injection to 25 patients with RA, a mean ± standard deviation half-life of 102 ± 30 hours was observed with a clearance of 160 ± 80 mL/hr. | The mean terminal half-life was estimated to be 12 ± 3 days in healthy subjects and the mean terminal half-life in RA patients was 14 ± 4 days. |
| Earliest approval on file (Drugs@FDA) | November 2, 1998 | April 24, 2009 |
| First generic approved | none | none |
| Generic labelers (NDC) | none listed | none listed |
| Pharmacy cost (NADAC, each one's most listed form; strengths differ) | $2,084.14 per mL (Enbrel 25 mg/0.5 mL syringe) | $12,890.32 per mL (Simponi 50 mg/0.5 mL pen injec) |
| 12-month price change | +5% | +4% |
| Boxed warning | Yes | Yes |
| Shortage now | No current entry | No current entry |
| Recalls recorded | 0 | 0 |
| FAERS reports (a report is not proof of cause; counts follow how widely a medicine is used) | 595,129 | 12,308 |
| DEA schedule | none | none |
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory, CMS NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages and recalls, FAERS via openFDA (FDA files October 8, 2026)
What next?
- Alternatives to etanercept
- every medicine labeled for the same conditions