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Guselkumab INFORMATION

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  • Other names
    Tremfya
  • Medicine type
    Biologic
  • Side effects More information

    Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people): 

    • Chest infections 

     

    Common (may affect between 1 and 10 in every 100 people):  

    • Headache
    • Diarrhoea
    • Rash
    • Joint pain
    • Increased liver enzyme levels in blood tests 

     

    Uncommon (may affect between 1 and 10 in every 1000 people):  

    • Reactivation of viruses leading to herpes or shingles
    • Fungal infections
    • Inflammation of the stomach
    • Raised itchy patches on your skin, known as hives
    • Reactions at the injection site
    • Lower levels of a type of blood cell called neutrophils 
  • How is it taken?

    You will have your first three doses of guselkumab as either:

    • A drip into a vein. This is called an intravenous, or IV, infusion.
    • An injection under your skin. This is known as a subcutaneous injection. 

     

    After your first three doses, you will continue to have guselkumab as an injection under your skin.   

  • Where is it taken?

    If you have your first three doses as an infusion you will need to go to hospital. If you have the injection, either you or a family member can be trained, and you can take the injection at home. 

  • Can I take this medicine at home?

    You might need to go to hospital if you have your first three doses as an infusion. After this you can take the rest of your doses as injections at home. 

  • How often is it taken?

    You will take your first three doses every four weeks. After this you will have an injection either every four weeks or every eight weeks. 

  • How long it takes to work

    Everyone responds differently when taking a new medicine. Some people with Crohn’s start to feel better after taking guselkumab for 4 weeks. Some people with Colitis start to feel better after taking guselkumab for 2 weeks. But it may take longer, and some people might not respond at all. 

  • How long to take it

    Your IBD team will review your treatment regularly to check whether it is still the best option for you. 

  • Ongoing checks

    You will have blood tests to check if your liver is working OK. 

  • Effectiveness More information

    In clinical trials: 

    65% of people with Crohn’s who were taking guselkumab had their Crohn’s under control (in remission) after one year. 

    45% of people with Colitis who were taking guselkumab had their Colitis under control (in remission) after one year.  

  • Special precautions

    Guselkumab can affect the way your immune system works. You may be more likely to get an infection while you are taking guselkumab. 

  • Pregnancy and fertility

    The effect of guselkumab on human fertility has not been studied. In animal studies, no effects were seen. 

    We do not know how guselkumab might affect pregnancy. In animal studies, no harmful effects were seen. But to be safe, it is generally recommended that guselkumab is not used during pregnancy. 

    Speak to your IBD team if you are offered or are taking guselkumab and want to start a family. They can help you make an informed decision about your care and your baby's safety. 

  • Additional medications

    There are no recommended supplements to be taken with guselkumab.  

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Our effectiveness information is based on the best sources of evidence available at the time of writing. These are all calculated in different ways, and therefore they cannot be used to directly compare the effectiveness of different medicines.

Some of the different ways that the evidence is collected include:

Induction/maintenance treatment

Induction treatment is treatment that aims to reduce the inflammation in your gut and get your Crohn's or Colitis under control. Once your Crohn's or Colitis is under control, treatment aims to keep it under control. This is called maintenance treatment. Some clinical trials look at how well a medicine works as induction treatment. Some look at how well it works as maintenance treatment. Some look at how well it works for both.

Where the data comes from

The sources of evidence available for each medicine may be different. Some evidence will come from systematic reviews, which review all of the available data and results from studies on a specific topic. They use strict criteria and assess the quality of each study included. For new medicines, there may not be enough studies to conduct a systematic review yet. So, we use data from other studies such as pivotal trials. Pivotal trials are clinical trials that confirm that a new medicine is safe and works well.

People included in the studies

Sometimes studies look at how well a medicine works in people who have taken other medicines before, such as biologics, compared to people who haven’t taken those medicines. And other studies don’t. Different studies also include people with differing severity of Crohn’s or Colitis.

Length of treatment

Different clinical trials give people medicine for different lengths of time, meaning they can not be used to directly compare medicines against each other. Some clinical trials look at how well a medicine worked after a year, some look at how well a medicine worked after 58 weeks. Some may use a different length of time.

These are just some of the factors that mean we are unable to directly compare the effectiveness of different medicines.

All medicines can have side effects, but not everyone will get them. Some side effects can happen right away, others may happen later. Some side effects are mild and may go away on their own, or after you stop taking the medicine. Others may be more serious and could need treatment. Some side effects might mean that a medicine is not right for you.

This Medicine Tool does not include a full list of side effects. For more information about side effects of a medicine, search for the medicine on the Electronic Medicines Compendium (EMC) website to find the patient information leaflet. This link takes you to an external website.

Helpline service

Helpline Service

We know it can be difficult to live with, or support someone living with these conditions. But you’re not alone. We provide up-to-date, evidence-based information and can support you to live well with Crohn’s or Colitis.

Our helpline team can help by:

  • Providing information about Crohn’s and Colitis.

  • Listening and talking through your situation.

  • Helping you to find support from others in the Crohn’s and Colitis community.

  • Providing details of other specialist organisations.

Please be aware we’re not medically or legally trained. We cannot provide detailed financial or benefits advice or specialist emotional support.

Please contact us via telephone, email or LiveChat - 10am to 3pm, Monday to Friday (except English bank holidays).

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If you need specific medical advice about your condition, your GP or IBD team will be best placed to help.

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