Frequently Asked Questions
SIMPONI® is the first and only once-monthly self-injectable biologic treatment for adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with the medicine methotrexate; active psoriatic arthritis, alone or with the medicine methotrexate; or active ankylosing spondylitis. Methotrexate is taken as directed. Once you and your doctor are comfortable with the self-injection process, you will inject SIMPONI® under the skin, just once a month.
Just one dose monthly works to relieve the signs and symptoms of RA, psoriatic arthritis, and ankylosing spondylitis. Results may not be the same for everyone. You may continue to use other medications that help treat your condition while taking SIMPONI®, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and prescription steroids, as recommended by your doctor.
Only your doctor can decide if SIMPONI® is right for you. SIMPONI® can cause serious side effects. Please read the Medication Guide for SIMPONI® and discuss any symptoms or questions with your doctor.
SIMPONI® (golimumab) can lower your ability to fight infections. Serious and sometimes fatal events may occur. There have been reports of serious infections including tuberculosis (TB) and infections caused by bacteria, fungi, or viruses that have spread throughout the body. Other possible serious side effects may include lymphoma, skin cancer, a rare and fatal cancer called Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma, other cancers, hepatitis B, heart failure, nervous system problems, or allergic reactions. To learn more about these and other risks, please read the Important Safety Information, and the Medication Guide, and talk with your doctor.
The common side effects of treatment with SIMPONI® include:
- upper respiratory tract infection
- reaction at the site of injection
- viral infections such as flu and oral cold sores
To learn more about these and other risks, please read the Important Safety Information for SIMPONI® and the Medication Guide, and talk with your doctor.
SIMPONI® is given as an injection under the skin. After you are trained by your healthcare provider, you can take SIMPONI® by giving yourself an injection with the SmartJect® autoinjector or a prefilled syringe. Both injection devices provide a low volume of medicine (0.5 mL) with each dose. Please refer to the Medication Guide, and Instructions for Use, for more information on the right way to inject SIMPONI®.
Watch our step-by-step injection demonstration videos by clicking here.
SIMPONI® is taken as a single injection just once a month. SIMPONI® is the first and only once-monthly self-injectable biologic treatment for adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), with the medicine methotrexate; active psoriatic arthritis, alone or with the medicine methotrexate; and active ankylosing spondylitis. Methotrexate is taken as directed.
This means you only need to take one injection of SIMPONI® a month, fewer than the two or four injections you’d need if you were taking another anti-TNF biologic medication. While dosing frequency is important, there are other factors to consider. Ask your doctor if SIMPONI® is right for you.
For most people in clinical trials, SIMPONI® injections were pain-free. Less than 1% of people treated with SIMPONI® reported experiencing any injection site pain, and 6% experienced injection site reactions, such as redness, swelling, itching, pain, bruising, or tingling. To learn more about these and other risks, please read the Important Safety Information about SIMPONI® below, and the Medication Guide , and talk with your doctor.
Use SIMPONI® exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not miss any doses of SIMPONI®. If you forget to use SIMPONI®, inject your dose as soon as you remember. Then, take your next dose at your regularly scheduled time. In case you're not sure when to inject SIMPONI®, call your doctor or pharmacist.
You may continue to use other medications that help treat your condition while taking SIMPONI® such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and prescription steroids, as recommended by your doctor.
Be sure to let your doctor know about all the medications you are taking before starting SIMPONI® or if you are scheduled for or recently received a vaccine. People taking SIMPONI® should not receive live vaccines. Use of SIMPONI® with Orencia®* (abatacept), Actemra®* (tocilizumab), or Kineret®* (anakinra) is not recommended, due to an increased risk of serious infections. A higher rate of serious infections has also been observed in RA patients treated with Rituxan®* (rituximab) and Actemra®* (tocilizumab), who received subsequent treatment with a TNF blocker. SIMPONI® should not be used along with another TNF-blocker medicine.
*Indicated trademarks are the registered trademarks of their respective owners.
SimponiOne® will forward your prescription to a specialty pharmacy based on your insurance coverage. The specialty pharmacy will call you about your insurance coverage and potential out-of-pocket costs, and to arrange delivery of your medication. Your doctor may want your medication shipped to the doctor's office for your first treatment. If authorized by your doctor, you may have your medication shipped directly to your home or other location so you can self-inject.
Biologic medications such as SIMPONI® require special handling, and specialty pharmacies have experience in managing these kinds of medications. Specialty pharmacies offer you important benefits, including registered nurses and pharmacists who can answer questions about SIMPONI® and self-injection.
When you receive your monthly dose of SIMPONI®, immediately place it in a refrigerator at 36°F to 46°F (2°C to 8°C) until you're ready to use it. Do not freeze or shake SIMPONI®. Keep it in the carton when not being used to protect it from light.
After self-injecting with SIMPONI®, it's important to properly dispose of your used SmartJect® autoinjector or used syringe. People being treated with SIMPONI® can enroll in SimponiOne® Safe Returns®, a simple and safe way to dispose of your used SIMPONI® injection device immediately after each once-monthly treatment, with the convenience of a once-a-year return service — at no additional cost to you.
To learn more, get the Safe Returns® guide here
*Requires Adobe® Reader®, click here to download.
To sign up for SimponiOne® Safe Returns®, call 877-MY SIMPONI (877-697-4676), or sign up on this website here.
You can also use a sharps container, a hard plastic container (such as a detergent bottle), or a metal container (such as an empty coffee can). Ask your doctor for the right way to dispose of the container. Also, it's important to note that used autoinjectors or syringes cannot be recycled or placed in the household trash. Please refer to Instructions for Use for additional information on the proper disposal of your used SmartJect® autoinjector or used syringe.
We made Safe Returns® simple, safe, and convenient, with a larger disposal container that can hold 12 used SmartJect® autoinjectors, so you can return it for disposal just once a year. And because the disposal container holds even more used syringes, it can be returned for disposal even less frequently. When the container is full, in about a year, let us know, and we’ll send you a new container along with a postage-paid mail-back box to return the filled container. This will reduce the shipping materials you have to receive, paperwork you have to do, and trips to the post office you have to make, compared to the once-monthly Safe Returns® service.
SIMPONI® is covered by most insurance plans, including commercial or private insurers, Medicare, and Medicaid. Coverage policies may vary by insurer or even between plans offered by the same insurer. If you have any questions about insurance coverage or reimbursement, you should first call your insurance company or Medicare. If you need additional information about insurance coverage or financial assistance for SIMPONI®, please call SimponiOne® at 877-MY SIMPONI (877-697-4676), Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–8:00 PM E.T.
SimponiOne® Support can help explain your health insurance benefits, coverage, or potential out-of-pocket medication expenses, and determine your eligibility for SimponiOne® Cost Support, or help identify other medication cost support resources. If you're eligible for SimponiOne® Cost Support, you may receive up to a full year of instant savings on your medication insurance co-pay, deductible, and co-insurance medication costs for SIMPONI®. To find out about SimponiOne® Cost Support eligibility, requirements, and restrictions, call SimponiOne® Support 877-MY SIMPONI (877-697-4676), or click here to learn more.
SimponiOne® Support is a single source of support for people being treated with SIMPONI®. It offers a full range of services to help you manage your condition, including help with understanding your health insurance benefits, medication cost support, nurse support to help answer injection questions, and Safe Returns®, which combines a simple and safe way to dispose of your used SIMPONI® injection device after each once-monthly treatment, with the convenience of a once-a-year return service — at no additional cost to you.
Sign up for SimponiOne® Support by calling 877-MY SIMPONI (877-697-4676), or click here.
SimponiOne® will call to tell you that your prescription is being handled and to offer you support services. Someone from a specialty pharmacy will also call you before each of your scheduled treatments to explain your insurance benefits and what you will pay, and to arrange for shipment of your medication. If you ask for our treatment reminder service, we'll also call you before each of your treatment dates.
Just call us at 877-MY SIMPONI (877-697-4676) and request to stop communications from SimponiOne®, or click on “unsubscribe” at the bottom of any web page.
Please read the Important Safety Information about SIMPONI® below, and the Medication Guide, and talk with your doctor.
