🇮🇪Ireland
16°C Partly Cloudy · Dublin
Live Updates
--:--:-- IST
Writer Login
Latest
University of Galway to Lead New €64.5m Research Ireland Rinn Medical Devices Centre Chanelle Pharma Renews Historic Partnership with Galway Races Summer Festival 2026 The Distortion of Irish GDP: How 'Phantom Exports' Are Reshaping the Biopharma Landscape The Anatomy of a Biologics Warning Letter: Deconstructing Genzyme Waterford’s FDA Audit The Dublin-Backed Roll-Up Reshaping UK Pharma Packaging: Inside Woodberry's Double Acquisition The Pill That Promised a Revolution: Why Eli Lilly's Foundayo Is Launching Slower Than Wall Street Expected Speed Over Scrutiny? The High-Stakes Gamble Behind the NHS's New Fast-Track Drug Pilots A Global Milestone for Wellness: Chanelle McCoy Health Secures Historic Dual SFDA and European Novel Food Regulatory Approvals University of Galway to Lead New €64.5m Research Ireland Rinn Medical Devices Centre Chanelle Pharma Renews Historic Partnership with Galway Races Summer Festival 2026 The Distortion of Irish GDP: How 'Phantom Exports' Are Reshaping the Biopharma Landscape The Anatomy of a Biologics Warning Letter: Deconstructing Genzyme Waterford’s FDA Audit The Dublin-Backed Roll-Up Reshaping UK Pharma Packaging: Inside Woodberry's Double Acquisition The Pill That Promised a Revolution: Why Eli Lilly's Foundayo Is Launching Slower Than Wall Street Expected Speed Over Scrutiny? The High-Stakes Gamble Behind the NHS's New Fast-Track Drug Pilots A Global Milestone for Wellness: Chanelle McCoy Health Secures Historic Dual SFDA and European Novel Food Regulatory Approvals

← All drug comparisons

Humira vs Stelara

Adalimumab  ·  Ustekinumab

Two biologics used across psoriasis and Crohn's disease that block completely different points in the inflammatory cascade.

At a glance

HumiraAdalimumab
StelaraUstekinumab
Brand name
Humira
Stelara
Drug class
TNF inhibitor
IL-12/23 inhibitor
Route
Not listed
Intravenous, Subcutaneous
Marketed by
AbbVie
Janssen (Johnson & Johnson)
First FDA approval
31 Dec 2002
25 Sep 2009
US shortage
Not listed
Not listed

Key differences

What each one treats

HumiraAdalimumab

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…

StelaraUstekinumab

STELARA is a human interleukin-12 and -23 antagonist indicated for the treatment of: Moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adult and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older who are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy. ( 1.1 ) Active psoriatic arthritis in adults and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older. ( 1.2 ) Moderately to severely active Crohn's disease in adult and pediatric patients 2 years of age and older. ( 1.3 ) Moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis in adult patients. ( 1.4 ) 1.1 Plaque Psoriasis (PsO) STELARA is indicated for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy. 1.2 Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) STELARA is indicated for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients 6 years of age and older with active psoriatic art…

How each one works

HumiraTNF inhibitor

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…

StelaraIL-12/23 inhibitor

12.1 Mechanism of Action Ustekinumab is a human IgG1қ monoclonal antibody that binds with specificity to the p40 protein subunit used by both the IL-12 and IL-23 cytokines. IL-12 and IL-23 are naturally occurring cytokines that are involved in inflammatory and immune responses, such as natural killer cell activation and CD4+ T-cell differentiation and activation. In in vitro models, ustekinumab was shown to disrupt IL-12 and IL-23 mediated signaling and cytokine cascades by disrupting the interaction of these cytokines with a shared cell-surface receptor chain, IL-12Rβ1. The cytokines IL-12 and IL-23 have been implicated as important contributors to the chronic inflammation that is a hallma…

Related comparisons

Humira VS Enbrel Humira VS Remicade Humira VS Simponi Humira VS Cimzia Skyrizi VS Stelara Stelara VS Tremfya

Read more

Humira profile Stelara profile TNF Inhibitors IL-23 Inhibitors All comparisons
This is not medical advice, and not a recommendation of one drug over the other.

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.

Class and summary text is written by the Priya Life Science editorial team. Label, mechanism, route, manufacturer and approval data come from the U.S. FDA via the openFDA API; shortage status from the FDA Drug Shortage Database. Approvals, indications and brand names differ between the US, EU/Ireland (EMA/HPRA) and other regions — a drug approved in one may not be approved, or may carry a different name, in another.