Humira vs Enbrel
Both are TNF inhibitors. Here is how Humira and Enbrel compare on class, mechanism, dosing, approval and supply.
At a glance
Key differences
- Same class. Both Humira and Enbrel are TNF inhibitors, so they work through the same broad mechanism. Differences between them tend to be about dosing, route, how selective they are, and side effects rather than what they target.
- Time on the market. Humira was first approved by the FDA in 2002, Enbrel in 1998. That gives Enbrel roughly 4 more years of real-world use and long-term safety data.
- Who markets them. Humira is marketed by AbbVie; Enbrel by Amgen (Immunex).
What each one treats
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…
Enbrel 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 ) Plaque Psoriasis, 4 years of age or older ( 1.5 ) 1.1 Rheumatoid Arthritis Enbrel is indicated for reducing signs and symptoms, inducing major clinical response, inhibiting the progression of structural damage, and improving physical function in patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Enbrel can be initiated in combination with methotrexate (MTX) or used alone. 1.2 Polyarticular Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Enbrel is indicated for reducing signs and…
How each one works
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 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. In addition, TNF plays a role in the inflammatory process of PsO. Elevated levels of TNF are found in involved tissues and fluids of patients with RA, JIA, PsA, AS, and PsO. Two distinct receptors for TNF (TNFRs), a 55 kilodalton protein (p55) and a 75 kilodalton protein (p75), exist naturally as monomeric molecules on cell surfaces and in soluble forms. Biological activity of TNF is dependent upon binding to either cell surface TNFR. Etane…
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Which medicine is right for a given person depends on their diagnosis, other conditions, other medicines, kidney and liver function, pregnancy, and cost or reimbursement — none of which this page knows. Two drugs in the same class are not automatically interchangeable. Never start, stop or switch a prescription medicine on the basis of a web page; that decision belongs to you and your clinician or pharmacist.
How this page is built
The facts on this page are pulled directly from official U.S. FDA datasets — they are not written from memory. Each field below names the dataset it came from, so you can check it yourself.
- FDA Drug Label (openFDA) ↗ Indications, mechanism of action and pharmacologic class
- Drugs@FDA ↗ First FDA approval date and the company holding the application
- FDA Drug Shortage Database ↗ Current US supply / shortage status
Plain-English summaries and drug-class explainers are written and reviewed 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 9 Oct 2026. How every register is built: methodology · fixes we have made: corrections log.