Key takeaways
- Ilumya is a brand-name prescription medication used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults.
- Like most drugs, Ilumya injections may cause mild or serious side effects. You may experience diarrhea, injection site reactions, upper respiratory infections, or other adverse reactions.
- Ilumya is available as a liquid solution in prefilled syringes. A healthcare professional will administer it as an injection under your skin. Initially, you’ll receive 1 injection, another after 4 weeks, and then an injection every 12 weeks.
Ilumya is a brand-name prescription medication prescribed for adults with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.
It comes as a liquid solution inside prefilled syringes. You’ll receive Ilumya as an injection under the skin at your doctor’s office or another healthcare facility.
Ilumya contains the active drug tildrakizumab-asmn. (An active ingredient is what makes a medication work.)
Ilumya is a biologic medication. A biologic is made from parts of living organisms. Ilumya is available only as a brand-name drug. It isn’t available in a biosimilar form.
Ilumya is used to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Ilumya may be prescribed for adults with plaque psoriasis who would benefit from phototherapy (treatment with light) or systemic therapy (treatment that lowers inflammation throughout your body).
Plaque psoriasis is a chronic (long-term) autoimmune condition. With an autoimmune condition, your immune system attacks your cells by mistake.
Plaque psoriasis causes patches of thick, scaly skin. These plaques are often itchy and may be painful.
Plaque psoriasis patches most commonly affect the elbows, knees, lower back, and scalp. But they can appear on other parts of your body as well. Your doctor can determine how severe your plaque psoriasis is by how much of your body these plaques affect.
Ilumya works by blocking the actions of a certain protein in your body. This protein plays a role in your immune system, including increasing inflammation (swelling). By blocking this protein, Ilumya decreases inflammation throughout your body.
If you have questions about how Ilumya is used for plaque psoriasis, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Other uses of Ilumya
Ilumya may also be used off-label for other conditions. (Off-label drug use is when an approved drug is prescribed for a purpose other than what it’s approved for.) To learn more, talk with your doctor.
Like most drugs, Ilumya injections may cause mild or serious side effects.
The most common side effects found in studies of Ilumya were upper respiratory infections, injection site reactions, and diarrhea.
Ilumya is available as a liquid solution in prefilled syringes. You’ll receive it as an injection under your skin by a healthcare professional at a doctor’s office, clinic, or hospital.
Initially, you’ll receive 1 injection, another after 4 weeks, and then an injection every 12 weeks.
Your doctor will recommend the Ilumya dosing that’s right for you.
Your doctor will explain how Ilumya injections will be given to you. They’ll also explain how much Ilumya you’ll be given and how often.
Body locations where you may receive Ilumya injections include:
- your abdomen, at least 2 inches from your belly button
- an upper arm
- a thigh
The healthcare professional who gives you your Ilumya injections will choose an area with clear skin that is not tender or bruised.
Whether you have health insurance or not, cost may be a factor when you’re considering Ilumya injections. What you’ll pay for Ilumya may depend on several things, such as your treatment plan and the pharmacy you use.
Here are answers to some commonly asked questions about Ilumya.
Are there reviews or complaints available from people who have used Ilumya?
The manufacturer of the drug has testimonials available from people who’ve used Ilumya.
Keep in mind that your results from treatment with a drug may differ from other people’s results. Talk with your doctor to learn more about Ilumya, including whether it may be a good treatment option for you.
How does Ilumya work?
How a drug works is referred to as its mechanism of action.
Ilumya works by blocking the actions of a certain protein in your body. This protein plays a role in your immune system, including increasing inflammation (swelling). By blocking this protein, Ilumya decreases inflammation throughout your body.
If you’d like to learn more about how Ilumya works, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Is Ilumya used for psoriatic arthritis?
Ilumya isn’t approved to treat psoriatic arthritis, but the drug may be used off-label for this condition. (Off-label drug use is when an approved drug is prescribed for a purpose other than what it’s approved for.)
If you’d like to learn more about off-label uses of Ilumya, including psoriatic arthritis, talk with your doctor.
Ilumya and Tremfya are prescription medications that treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in adults.
In addition, Tremfya is also used to treat psoriatic arthritis in adults.
Both Ilumya and Tremfya come as a liquid solution inside prefilled syringes. Both drugs are given as an injection under the skin at a doctor’s office or another healthcare facility. Tremfya is also available as a device called the One-Press injector.
To learn more about how Ilumya and Tremfya are alike and different, see this side-by-side comparison. You can also talk with your doctor or pharmacist to see if one of these drugs may be right for you.
Some important things to discuss with your doctor when considering Ilumya treatment include your overall health and any medical conditions you may have.
Taking a medication with certain vaccines, foods, and other things can sometimes affect how the medication works. These effects are called interactions.
Before receiving Ilumya, be sure to tell your doctor about all medications you take, including prescription and over-the-counter types. Also, describe any vitamins, herbs, or supplements you take. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you about any interactions these items may cause with Ilumya.
Interactions with drugs or supplements
There currently aren’t any medications or supplements known to interact with Ilumya. But this doesn’t mean drug interactions with Ilumya won’t be recognized in the future. For example, new medications may be approved that interact with Ilumya.
For this reason, you should still tell your doctor and pharmacist about any medications you take besides Ilumya. This way, they can check for any new interactions during your treatment.
Other interactions
You should avoid getting live vaccines while you’re receiving Ilumya.
Live vaccines contain a weakened version of the virus they protect against. Because Ilumya works by weakening your immune system, your body may not be able to fight the weakened virus in the vaccine. And the vaccine may not be effective if you receive it during your Ilumya treatment.
Examples of live vaccines include:
Before beginning treatment with Ilumya, talk with your doctor or pharmacist about any vaccines you may need.
Ilumya may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors that affect your health. Talk with your doctor about your health history before you use Ilumya. Factors to consider include those in the list as follows.
- Active infection: Before starting treatment with Ilumya, tell your doctor if you have an active infection. (An active infection means you’re currently experiencing symptoms.) Ilumya works by weakening your immune system. This can make it harder to treat infections while you’re receiving the drug. Your doctor can determine the best treatment for your infection and whether Ilumya is safe for you. They may wait until your infection clears before prescribing Ilumya for you.
- Tuberculosis (TB), including TB infection in the past: Before beginning Ilumya treatment, it’s important to tell your doctor if you have TB or have had it in the past. Ilumya works by weakening your immune system, which can make TB harder to treat. And, if you’ve had TB in the past, having a weakened immune system may cause the infection to become active (cause symptoms) again. Your doctor will test you for TB before prescribing Ilumya. If the test shows you do have TB, your doctor may want to treat it first before you begin using Ilumya. They’ll also monitor you for symptoms of TB during and after your Ilumya treatment.
- Allergic reaction: If you’ve had an allergic reaction to Ilumya or any of its ingredients, your doctor will likely not prescribe Ilumya. Ask them what other medications are better options for you.
Ilumya and alcohol
It should be safe to drink alcohol during your Ilumya treatment. But alcohol use can cause diarrhea, which is also a side effect of Ilumya. Drinking alcohol during your treatment could raise your risk of diarrhea or make it worse if you have it.
In addition, some
If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor about how much may be safe for you to drink with your condition and treatment plan.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
It’s not known whether it’s safe to use Ilumya during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding or planning to become pregnant or breastfeed, talk with your doctor before starting treatment with Ilumya.
Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses.
