Johnson and Schering have described the drug as the new standard of so-called tumor necrosis factor blockers, a group of drugs that includes
Enbrel from Wyeth and Amgen, and Humira from Abbott Laboratories. Unlike Simponi, those drugs are generally injected once every week or two weeks.
The drug class works by engaging and neutralizing a protein that, when overproduced, causes inflammation and damage to bones, cartilage and other tissue.