Secukinumab: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Secukinumab is an interleukin-17a antagonist sold in the U.S. under one brand, for ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Interleukin-17a Antagonist
- Treats (across its forms)
- Ankylosing Spondylitis and Psoriatic Arthritis
- Available as
- Injectable · Solution
- Sold as
- Cosentyx
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
How secukinumab is dosed
From the FDA label for Cosentyx (application BLA125504). Other secukinumab products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Prior to COSENTYX initiation, complete all age-appropriate vaccinations, evaluate patients for tuberculosis (TB). ( 2.1 ) See Full Prescribing Information for instructions on preparation and administration of COSENTYX. ( 2.2 , 2.11 , 2.12 ) Administration of Intravenous Formulation: COSENTYX for intravenous use must be diluted prior to administration. Administer as an intravenous infusion after dilution over a period of 30 minutes. ( 2.12 ) Plaque Psoriasis: Subcutaneous Dosage in Adults: Recommended dosage is 300 mg by subcutaneous injection at Weeks 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 and every 4 weeks thereafter. For some patients, a dose of 150 mg may be acceptable. ( 2.3 ) Subcutaneous Dosage in Pediatric Patients 6 Years and Older: Recommended weight-based dosage is administered by subcutaneous injection at Weeks 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 and every 4 weeks thereafter. For patients < 50 kg, the dose is 75 mg. For patients ≥ 50 kg, the dose is 150 mg. ( 2.3 ) Psoriatic Arthritis: Adult Patients Subcutaneous Dosage: For PsA patients with coexistent moderate to severe PsO, use the dosage and administration for PsO. ( 2.3 ) For other PsA patients, administer with or without a loading dosage. With a loading dosage : 150 mg at Weeks 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 and every 4 weeks thereafter Without a loading dosage : 150 mg every 4 weeks If a patient continues to have active PsA, consider a dosage of 300 mg every 4…
Secukinumab side effects
The following adverse reactions are discussed in greater detail elsewhere in the labeling: Infections [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] Hypersensitivity Reactions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2)] Inflammatory Bowel Disease [see Warnings and Precautions (5.4)] Eczematous Eruptions [see Warnings and Precautions (5.5)] Most common adverse reactions (> 1%) are nasopharyngitis, diarrhea, and upper respiratory tract infection. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation at 1-888-669-6682 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. Adverse Reactions in Clinical Trials of Subcutaneous COSENTYX Adverse Reactions from Clinical Trials in Adults with PsO A total of 3,430 adult subjects with PsO were treated with COSENTYX in controlled and uncontrolled clinical trials. Of these, 1,641 subjects were treated with COSENTYX for at least 1 year. Four placebo-controlled Phase 3 trials in PsO subjects (Trials PsO1, PsO2, PsO3, and PsO4) were pooled to evaluate the safety of COSENTYX in comparison to placebo up to 12 weeks after treatment…
Who shouldn’t take secukinumab
COSENTYX is contraindicated in patients with a previous serious hypersensitivity reaction to secukinumab or to any of the excipients in COSENTYX. Cases of anaphylaxis and angioedema have been reported during treatment with COSENTYX [see Warnings and Precautions (5.2)] . Serious hypersensitivity to secukinumab or any excipients in COSENTYX. ( 4 )
Secukinumab drug interactions
Certain CYP450 Substrates Increased concentrations of cytokines (e.g., IL-17) during chronic inflammation associated with certain diseases including PsO, PsA, AS, nr-axSpA, ERA, and HS may suppress the formation of CYP enzymes. Upon initiation or discontinuation of COSENTYX in patients who are receiving concomitant CYP450 substrates, particularly those where minimal decreases in the concentration may reduce CYP substrate effectiveness or minimal increases in the concentration may increase CYP substrate adverse reactions, consider monitoring for therapeutic effect or concentration of the CYP substrate and consider dosage adjustment of the CYP substrate as needed [see Clinical Pharmacology (12.3)] .
Every secukinumab product we track (1)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
Only one: Cosentyx.
Secukinumab and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for secukinumab: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadNo information is available on the clinical use of secukinumab during breastfeeding. Because secukinumab is a large protein molecule with a molecular weight of 151,000 Da, the amount in milk is likely to be very low. It is also likely to be partially destroyed in the infant's gastrointestinal tract and absorption by the infant is probably minimal. Some professional guidelines consider secukinumab to be acceptable during breastfeeding. Until more data become available, secukinumab should be used with caution during breastfeeding, especially while nursing a newborn or preterm infant. Waiting for at least 2 weeks postpartum to resume therapy may minimize transfer to the infant.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised November 15, 2023. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about secukinumab
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 4,797 reports naming secukinumab, and the FDA flagged 96% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- psoriatic arthropathy742 reports
- arthralgia715 reports
- fatigue642 reports
- psoriasis640 reports
- headache588 reports
- drug intolerance577 reports
- treatment failure569 reports
- joint swelling566 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean secukinumab caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 26, 2026.
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Frequently asked questions
What is secukinumab?
Cosentyx (Secukinumab) is an interleukin-17a antagonist used to treat Ankylosing Spondylitis, Psoriatic Arthritis.
What kind of drug is secukinumab?
The FDA classifies secukinumab as an interleukin-17a antagonist. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take secukinumab with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run secukinumab against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What forms does secukinumab come in?
Across the brands we track, secukinumab is currently marketed as injectable and solution, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic secukinumab?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled secukinumab product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Secukinumab: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/secukinumab
- MLA
- “Secukinumab: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/secukinumab.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for secukinumab on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.