Frequently Asked Questions about SIMPONI®

SIMPONI® is a once-monthly, self-injectable biologic treatment for adults with:

  • Moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), taken with the medicine methotrexate
  • Active psoriatic arthritis (PsA), taken alone or with the medicine methotrexate
  • Active ankylosing spondylitis (AS)
  • To learn more about SIMPONI® for the treatment of moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC), click here

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 talk with your doctor about any symptoms or questions.

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, lupus-like syndrome, 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 like the flu, or oral cold sores

Please read the Important Safety Information about SIMPONI®, and the Medication Guide, and talk with your doctor.

SIMPONI® is given as an injection under the skin. Your healthcare provider will teach you how to give yourself the injection.

Please refer to the Medication Guide and Instructions for Use for more information on the right way to inject SIMPONI®. Click here for our injection demonstration videos.

Once you and your doctor are comfortable with the self-injection process, SIMPONI® is a medicine you inject under the skin—only one injection each month. See how the SIMPONI® dosing schedule compares with other products.

Use SIMPONI® exactly as prescribed by your doctor.

It’s important not to miss any doses of SIMPONI®. If you do forget to take a dose:

  • Inject SIMPONI® as soon as you remember
  • Take your next dose at your regularly scheduled time

If you're not sure when to inject SIMPONI®, call your doctor or pharmacist.

It’s up to your doctor. Your doctor may want you to keep taking other medicines that help your condition, such as:

  • Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
  • Prescription steroids

Be sure to let your doctor know about all the medications you are taking before starting SIMPONI®, or if you have recently received or are scheduled to receive a vaccine. People taking SIMPONI® should not receive live vaccines or treatment with a weakened bacteria (such as BCG for bladder cancer). 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.

  • The doctor will send your prescription to a specialty pharmacy
  • The pharmacy will call you to arrange delivery of your medicine
  • Your doctor may want to have your first month’s medication shipped to his or her office
  • After that, with your doctor’s permission, you may have your medication shipped right to your home

Biologic medications like SIMPONI® need special handling. Specialty pharmacies have experience in handling biologics. They also have nurses and pharmacists who can answer your questions about SIMPONI® and self-injection.

  • Refrigerate SIMPONI® at 36⁰F to 46⁰F (2⁰C to 8⁰C).
  • If needed, you may store SIMPONI® at room temperature up to 77⁰F (25⁰C) for one period of time up to 30 days.
    • Write the date of that you remove SIMPONI® from the refrigerator on the carton.
    • If SIMPONI® has reached room temperature, do not put it back in the refrigerator.
    • Throw away SIMPONI® if it has been kept at room temperature for 30 days and has not been used.
  • Do not freeze SIMPONI®
  • Keep SIMPONI® in the original carton to protect it from light when not being used. 
  • Do not shake SIMPONI®.
  • Do not use SIMPONI® after the expiration date on the carton or on the prefilled syringe or SmartJect® autoinjector.
    Keep SIMPONI® and all medicines out of the reach of children.

It’s important to properly discard your used injection devices and sharps (non-needle safe syringes). Johnson & Johnson offers Safe Returns – a simple, safe, and convenient way to dispose of your used devices – at no cost to you.

To sign up for Safe Returns, and learn more about what used injection devices can be returned, please visit www.janssensafereturns.com or call 1-877-227-3278, Monday – Friday 8:00 am – 8:00 pm.

Alternatively, you can use a household container that is:

  • Made of a heavy-duty plastic

  • Can be closed with a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid that doesn't allow sharps to come through

  • Upright and stable during use

  • Leak-resistant

  • Properly labeled to warn of hazardous waste inside the container

When your sharps disposal container is almost full, follow your community guidelines for the right way to dispose of the container. There may be state or local laws about how you should throw away used sharps.

For more information about safe sharps disposal, and for specific information about sharps disposal in the state that you live in, visit www.fda.gov/safesharpsdisposal

Remember, you can’t recycle used syringes or put them in the trash. Please refer to Instructions for Use for more information on how to discard your used syringes.

SIMPONI® is covered by many insurance plans, including:

  • Commercial or private insurance companies
  • Medicare
  • Medicaid

Different plans offer different coverage. If you have any questions about your coverage, first call your insurance provider. If you need more information or financial assistance for SIMPONI®, please call Janssen CarePath at 877-227-3728, Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–8:00 pm ET.

Getting Started

Janssen CarePath provides the additional support you may need to help you get started with SIMPONI® treatment, once you and your doctor have decided it is right for you.

Your personally assigned Case Manager can:

  • Review your health plan benefits to help answer questions you may have about insurance coverage for SIMPONI®
  • Identify options that may help make SIMPONI® more affordable, if needed
  • Connect you with a nurse at Janssen Nurse Support to answer questions about treatment with SIMPONI®*
  • Offer treatment education resources, such as demonstration videos
  • Identify and coordinate with a pharmacy to arrange shipment of your Janssen medication, if applicable

Get started with a Janssen CarePath Account

Sign up or log in to your personal Janssen CarePath Account at MyJanssenCarePath.com so you can learn about your insurance coverage for SIMPONI®; if eligible, enroll in the Janssen CarePath Savings Program and manage your program benefits; and sign up for treatment support.

Visit JanssenCarePath.com/SIMPONI

Need help? Call a Case Manager at 877-227-3728, Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM–8:00 PM ET.

Information about your insurance coverage, cost support options, and treatment support is given to you by service providers for Janssen CarePath. The information you get does not require you to use any Janssen product. The information about whether your treatment is covered by your health plan comes from outside sources. It is not a promise of coverage or payment. You should contact your health plan directly for the most current information. You are responsible for meeting your health plan requirements.

*Janssen Nurse Support is limited to education about your Janssen medication, its administration, and/or the condition it treats. It is not intended to provide medical advice, replace a treatment plan you receive from your doctor or nurse, or serve as a reason for you to start or stay on treatment.

Janssen CarePath can explain your potential out‑of‑pocket costs and identify cost support options that may help with managing your out‑of‑pocket costs—whether you have commercial or private health insurance, government‑funded healthcare coverage such as Medicare or Medicaid, or have no insurance coverage:

  • Janssen CarePath Savings Program for eligible patients with commercial or private health insurance
  • Information about independent foundations* that may be able to help if you need additional financial support
  • Medicare resources and other information

*Independent co‑pay assistance foundations have their own rules for eligibility. We cannot guarantee a foundation will help you. We only can refer you to a foundation that supports your disease state. This information is provided as a resource for you. We do not endorse any particular foundation.

Learn more

Please read the Important Safety Information about SIMPONI®, and the Medication Guide, and talk with your doctor.