Skyrizi (risankizumab-rzaa) and Stelara (ustekinumab) are prescription drugs used to treat certain conditions caused by inflammation. Both drugs come as liquid solutions that are given as an injection or intravenous (IV) infusion.
This article explains the main ways that Skyrizi and Stelara are alike and different. For more information about these drugs, including details about their uses, see this Skyrizi overview article and this Stelara overview article.
See the following list to find out whether Skyrizi or Stelara is available as a biosimilar. (Biosimilars are like generic drugs. But unlike generics, which are made for nonbiologic drugs, biosimilars are made for biologic drugs.)
- Skyrizi:
- Available as a biosimilar: No
- Active ingredient: risankizumab-rzaa
- Stelara:
- Available as a biosimilar: Yes
- Active ingredient: ustekinumab
If you’ve been prescribed Stelara and are interested in using the biosimilar version instead, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
See the following table for details on the conditions each drug treats in adults.
| Use | Skyrizi | Stelara |
|---|---|---|
| moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in certain situations | ✓ | ✓ |
| active psoriatic arthritis (active means it’s causing symptoms) | ✓ | ✓ |
| moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease | ✓ | ✓ |
| moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis | ✓ | ✓ |
To learn more about using Skyrizi or Stelara to treat your condition, talk with your doctor.
Skyrizi or Stelara and children
Stelara is used to treat active psoriatic arthritis and moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in children ages 6 years and older. For this use, Stelara is prescribed for children who can use light therapy or systemic (whole body) therapy to treat plaque psoriasis. Skyrizi is not approved for use in children.
For more information about the use of Stelara in children, talk with your child’s doctor.
Here’s an overview of the dosage and how you’ll use or receive Skyrizi and Stelara for the conditions they both treat.
Stelara is also used to treat plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis in children, but these uses aren’t addressed in the following tables. To learn more about the dosages for all conditions these drugs treat, see the Skyrizi dosage article and Stelara dosage article.
Dosage for plaque psoriasis
Strengths are expressed as milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL) and dose in milligrams (mg) in the following table.
| Skyrizi for plaque psoriasis | Stelara for plaque psoriasis | |
|---|---|---|
| Forms | •liquid solution in a single-dose prefilled pen given as a subcutaneous injection (injection under the skin) •in a single-dose prefilled syringe given as a subcutaneous injection | • liquid solution in a single-dose vial given as a subcutaneous injection • in a single-dose prefilled syringe given as a subcutaneous injection |
| Strengths | • 150 mg/mL, or 150 mg/mL in prefilled pen and prefilled syringe | • liquid solution in a single-dose vial given as a subcutaneous injection • in a single-dose prefilled syringe given as a subcutaneous injection |
| Dose | 150 mg | 45 mg or 90 mg* |
| Frequency | once at week 0 and week 4, then once every 12 weeks | once at week 0 and week 4, then once every 12 weeks |
Your doctor, pharmacist, or another healthcare professional can teach you or a caregiver how to give injections of Stelara or Skyrizi at home. Or you can choose to receive injections at your doctor’s office or another healthcare setting.
If you plan to inject Skyrizi or Stelara at home, the drug manufacturers provide guides for injecting Stelara and injecting Skyrizi.
* People who weigh 100 kg (about 220 pounds) or less will likely be prescribed the 45-mg dose, while people who weigh more than 100 kg will likely receive the 90-mg dose
Dosage for psoriatic arthritis
| Skyrizi for psoriatic arthritis | Stelara for psoriatic arthritis | |
|---|---|---|
| Forms | • liquid solution in a single-dose prefilled pen given as a subcutaneous injection • liquid solution in a single-dose prefilled syringe given as a subcutaneous injection | • liquid solution in a single-dose vial given as a subcutaneous injection • liquid solution in a single-dose prefilled syringe given as a subcutaneous injection |
| Strengths | • 150 mg/mL (prefilled pen and prefilled syringe) | • 45 mg/0.5 mL (vial and prefilled syringe) |
| Dose | 150 mg | 45 mg |
| Frequency | once at week 0 and week 4, then once every 12 weeks | Once at week 0 and week 4, then once every 12 weeks |
Your doctor, pharmacist, or another healthcare professional can teach you or a caregiver how to give injections of Stelara or Skyrizi at home. Or you can choose to receive injections at your doctor’s office or another healthcare setting.
If you plan to inject Skyrizi or Stelara at home, the drug manufacturers provide guides for injecting Stelara and injecting Skyrizi.
Dosage for Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis (UC)
| Skyrizi for Crohn’s disease/UC | Stelara for Crohn’s disease/UC | |
|---|---|---|
| Forms | • liquid solution in a single-dose vial given as an IV infusion (an injection into a vein over a period of time) • liquid solution in a single-dose prefilled pen given as a subcutaneous injection • liquid solution in a single-dose prefilled syringe given as a subcutaneous injection • liquid solution in single-dose prefilled cartridge for use with the On-body injector | • liquid solution in a single-dose vial given as an IV infusion • liquid solution in a single-dose vial given as a subcutaneous injection • liquid solution in a single-dose prefilled syringe given as a subcutaneous injection |
| Strengths | • 150 mg/mL (prefilled syringe, pen, cartridge for subcutaneous injection) • 90 mg/mL (prefilled syringe for subcutaneous injection) • 60 mg/mL (vial for IV infusion) | • 5 mg/mL (vial for IV infusion) • 45 mg/0.5 mL (prefilled syringe and vial for subcutaneous injection) |
| Dose | depends on the treatment plan prescribed by your doctor | depends on the treatment plan prescribed by your doctor |
| Frequency | one IV infusion every 4 weeks for 3 doses, then one subcutaneous injection every 8 weeks | one IV infusion to start treatment, then one subcutaneous injection every 8 weeks |
To begin treatment for Crohn’s disease or UC with either Skyrizi or Stelara, you’ll receive the drug as an IV infusion. You’ll receive these doses from your doctor or another healthcare professional at their office, an infusion center, or another healthcare setting.
After starting treatment with the infusion form, you’ll switch to using subcutaneous injections for the rest of your doses. Your doctor, pharmacist, or another healthcare professional can teach you or a caregiver how to give injections at home. Or you can choose to receive injections at your doctor’s office or another healthcare setting.
If you plan to inject Skyrizi or Stelara at home, the drug manufacturers provide guides for injecting Stelara and injecting Skyrizi.
Skyrizi and Stelara may cause side effects ranging from mild to serious.
For more information about possible side effects, see the Skyrizi side effects article and Stelara side effects article.
Mild side effects
Skyrizi and Stelara may cause mild side effects. The following table lists examples of mild side effects that have been reported with these drugs.
| Skyrizi | Stelara | |
|---|---|---|
| upper respiratory infection, such as a sinus infection | ✓ | ✓ |
| headache | ✓ | ✓ |
| fatigue or weakness | ✓ | ✓ |
| injection site reactions, such as bruising or pain where the drug is injected or infused | ✓ | ✓ |
| fungal infection, such as athlete’s foot | ✓ | ✓ |
| joint pain | ✓ | ✓ |
| abdominal pain | ✓ | ✓ |
| back pain | ✓ | ✓ |
| itchiness | ✓ | |
| diarrhea | ✓ |
This table may not include all mild side effects of these drugs. For more information on mild side effects of the two drugs, see the Skyrizi prescribing information and Stelara prescribing information.
Serious side effects
Serious side effects may also occur in people using Skyrizi or Stelara. See the following table for a list of side effects that have been reported with these drugs.
| Skyrizi | Stelara | |
|---|---|---|
| serious infection, such as pneumonia | ✓ | ✓ |
| liver damage | ✓ | |
| certain cancers, including skin cancer | ✓ | |
| posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) | ✓ | |
| interstitial lung disease | ✓ |
To learn about your specific risk of serious side effects from Skyrizi or Stelara, talk with your doctor.
ALLERGIC REACTIONFor some people, Skyrizi and Stelara can cause an allergic reaction. In general, symptoms of an allergic reaction can be mild or serious.
What might help
If you have mild symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as a mild rash, call your doctor right away. They may suggest a treatment to manage your symptoms and can determine whether you should keep using Skyrizi or Stelara.
If you have symptoms of a severe allergic reaction, such as swelling or difficulty breathing, call 911 or your local emergency number right away. These symptoms could be life threatening and require immediate medical care.
If your doctor confirms you’ve had a serious allergic reaction to Skyrizi or Stelara, they may have you switch to a different treatment.
You may wonder whether Skyrizi and Stelara are effective for your condition.
Skyrizi and Stelara are both used in adults to treat:
- moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in certain situations
- active (causing symptoms) psoriatic arthritis
- moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease
- moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC)
Also, organizations have the following recommendations for Skyrizi and Stellara:
- American Academy of Dermatology and National Psoriasis Foundation include both drugs in their joint treatment recommendations for plaque psoriasis.
- American College of Rheumatology includes both drugs in its treatment recommendations for psoriatic arthritis.
- American Gastroenterological Association includes Stelara in its treatment recommendations for moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease. These recommendations were last updated in 2021, before Skyrizi was approved in 2022 for treating this condition.
- American Gastroenterological Association includes Stelara in its treatment recommendations for moderately to severely active UC. These recommendations were last updated in 2020, before Skyrizi was approved in 2024 for treating this condition.
It’s important to note that your results from Skyrizi or Stelara may differ from those seen in studies. Talk with your doctor about whether one of these drugs is right for you.
Whether you have health insurance or not, cost may be a factor when you’re considering these drugs.
Keep in mind that what you’ll pay for either drug will depend on your treatment plan, health insurance, and the pharmacy you use.
Skyrizi and Stelara are both brand-name biologic drugs. Stelara is also available in biosimilar forms. (Biosimilars are like generic drugs. But unlike generics, which are made for nonbiologic drugs, biosimilars are made for biologic drugs.) Like generics, biosimilars are often less expensive than brand-name biologic medications.
If you’re interested in using a biosimilar form of Stelara, talk with your doctor. Skyrizi is not available in a biosimilar form.
For other resources that might help you save on the price of these drugs, see the Skyrizi cost article and Stelara cost article.
Skyrizi and Stelara may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors that affect your health. These may be referred to as warnings.
The two drugs have some of the same warnings and others that vary. Before you start using Skyrizi or Stelara, be sure to talk with your doctor to see if any of the following warnings apply to you.
- Warnings for Skyrizi:
- if you have a liver condition, such as cirrhosis
- Warnings for Stelara:
- if you have a latex allergy
- if you receive or have received allergy shots
- Warnings for both Skyrizi and Stelara:
- if you’ve had an allergic reaction to either drug or any of its ingredients
- if you’re pregnant or planning to become pregnant
- if you’re breastfeeding or planning to do so
- if you have or have had tuberculosis (TB)
- if you have an active infection (one that’s currently causing symptoms)
- if you are scheduled to receive or have recently received a vaccine
To learn more about these drugs, see this Skyrizi overview article and this Stelara overview article.
The short answer: It’s possible.
Details: Skyrizi and Stelara are both used to treat the same conditions in adults. If you’re interested in switching between Skyrizi and Stelara (due to side effects, cost, or another reason), talk with your doctor. They can determine whether switching treatments is appropriate, and if so, how to do so safely.
Reminder: You shouldn’t switch drugs or stop your current treatment unless your doctor recommends it.
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.