Pronunciation: spea-VEE-go
Generic name: spesolimab-sbzo
Dosage form: injection for intravenous use (450 mg/7.5 mL), prefilled syringe for subcutaneous use (150 mg/mL)
Drug class: Interleukin inhibitors

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Mar 21, 2025.

What is Spevigo?

Spevigo is used to treat generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) in adults and children 12 years and older and weighing at least 88 pounds (40 kg).

• When used to treat a GPP flare, it is given by intravenous infusion.
• For maintenance of GPP, it is given by subcutaneous (under the skin) injection every 4 weeks.

Spevigo (spesolimab-sbzo) first gained FDA approval on September 1, 2022. There is no generic or biosimilar. 

Mechanism

Spevigo works by blocking the activation of the interleukin-36 receptor (IL-36R), an inflammatory cytokine that is a key part of a signaling pathway within the immune system. Overstimulation or dysregulation of IL-36R is associated with the overproduction of keratinocytes and immune cells and psoriatic-like skin disorders. The exact way Spevigo works to reduce GPP and GPP flares is unknown.

Spevigo belongs to the drug class called interleukin inhibitors. 

Side effects

The most common side effects of Spevigo in patients experiencing a GPP flare are:

• feeling tired or weak
• nausea and vomiting
• headache
• itching or itchy bumps
• a collection of blood under the skin at the infusion site or bruising
• a urinary tract infection.

The most common side effects of Spevigo in patients using it for maintenance are:

• redness, pain, swelling, hardening, hives, or warmth at the injection site
• urinary tract infections
• joint pain
• itchy skin.

Serious side effects and warnings

Spevigo may cause the following serious side effects:

• Infections. Clinical trials have shown Spevigo may increase your risk of infections. Your healthcare provider should determine that you are free from infections, including tuberculosis (TB) before beginning treatment and monitor you for any infections that may develop. Tell your healthcare provider immediately if you have an infection or signs of an infection, such as:
  • fevers, chills, or sweats
  • muscle aches
  • cough
  • shortness of breath
  • blood in your phlegm (mucus)
  • burning when you urinate
  • urinating more often than normal.
• Allergic reactions and infusion-related reactions. These have been reported during and after treatment with Spevigo. If you have a serious allergic reaction, your healthcare provider will stop treatment. If you have an infusion-related reaction, your healthcare provider will stop your infusion, treat your symptoms, and restart the infusion at a slower rate. Tell your healthcare provider or get emergency medical help right away if you get any of the following symptoms during or after your infusion:
  • feeling faint, dizzy, or lightheaded
  • swelling of your face, eyelids, lips, mouth, tongue, or throat
  • trouble breathing or throat tightness
  • fever
  • mouth sores
  • chest tightness
  • hives or skin rash that is different from the rash from generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP)
  • itching
  • swollen lymph nodes.

You should not receive live vaccines during and for at least 16 weeks after treatment with Spevigo. You or your child should be brought up to date with all vaccines before starting treatment

These are not all the side effects of Spevigo. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Related/similar drugs

Before receiving

You should not receive Spevigo if you have had a severe or life-threatening allergic reaction to spesolimab-sbzo, Spevigo, or any of the ingredients in the injection.

Before you receive Spevigo, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions, including if you:

• have an infection that does not go away or that keeps coming back
• have TB or have been in close contact with someone with TB
• and have recently received or are scheduled to receive an immunization (vaccine)
• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant
• are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

It is not known if this medicine is safe and effective in children under the age of 12 or who weigh less than 88 pounds (40 kg).

Pregnancy

It is not known if Spevigo can harm an unborn baby

Breastfeeding

 It is not known if Spevigo passes into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby during treatment

How is Spevigo administered?

The way Spevigo is administered depends on whether the patient is being treated for a GPP flare or for maintenance of GPP (no flare).

• When used to treat a GPP flare, it is given via an intravenous infusion by a healthcare provider over 90 minutes.
• When used for maintenance of GPP it is given as a subcutaneous (SC) injection every 4 weeks, after an initial loading dose. Patients can be taught how to self-administer the prefilled syringe.

Dosing information

Treatment of GPP flare

Spevigo is administered as an intravenous infusion over 90 minutes by a healthcare provider when used to treat GPP flares.

• GPP flare: Spevigo 900 mg as a single dose (dilute before use)
• 1 week later if symptoms persist: 900 mg as a single dose.

Each vial for intravenous infusion contains 450 mg/7.5 ml and your healthcare provider will use an aseptic technique to draw up and reconstitute two vials.

• Spevigo should not be mixed with other medicinal products.
• The total infusion time, including any stop time, should not exceed 180 minutes.

Maintenance treatment of GPP

Administered by SC injection into the abdomen or upper thighs using the Spevigo prefilled syringe.

If you have just been treated with IV Spevigo for a GPP flare, then a loading dose is not required.

• Loading dose: 600mg Spevigo SC. A healthcare provider can give you this.
• 4 weeks later: 300 mg SC.
• Every 4 weeks: 300 mg SC.

Do not self-administer Spevigo until you have been taught how to do so by a healthcare provider.

• Children aged 12 to 17 years should administer Spevigo under the supervision of an adult.
• If you experience a GPP flare while receiving subcutaneous Spevigo, your healthcare provider may treat the GPP flare with intravenous Spevigo. 

Each prefilled syringe contains 150 mg/mL.

What other drugs will affect Spevigo?

No formal drug interaction studies have been conducted with Spevigo, but because it affects the immune system there are likely to be interactions with other immune-suppressing agents, such as infliximab, and most vaccines because they require a response from the immune system to vaccination. Some herbal medicines and probiotics may also interact.

Do not administer live vaccines concurrently with Spevigo.

Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Storage

Intravenous vials

Your healthcare provider will refrigerate these vials at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F) in the original carton to protect it from light. Do not freeze.

Before use, unopened Spevigo may be stored at room temperature, 20°C to 25°C (68°F to 77°F), for up to 24 hours in the original carton to protect from light.

Once reconstituted, the solution should be administered immediately but can be kept for up to 4 hours if refrigerated at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F) and protected from light.

Each carton contains two single-dose 450 mg/7.5 mL (60 mg/mL) glass vials.

Prefilled syringes (for subcutaneous use)

Store your Spevigo prefilled syringes refrigerated between 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F) in the original carton to
protect them from light.

• Do not freeze.
• Do not use them if they have been frozen, even if they are now thawed.

Keep out of the reach of children.

Take the box of prefilled syringes out of the refrigerator and leave for 15 to 30 minutes to warm up to room temperature before injecting. Do not speed up the warming process in any way and do not leave in direct sunlight.

Each carton contains two single-dose 150 mg/mL prefilled syringes.

Ingredients

Active ingredient: spesolimab-sbzo

Inactive ingredients: arginine hydrochloride, glacial acetic acid, polysorbate 20, sodium acetate, sucrose, and Water for Injection.

Available as a 450mg/7.5mL (60mg/mL) solution in a single-dose vial and two single-dose 150 mg/mL prefilled syringes for SC use in a carton.

Who makes Spevigo?

Spevigo is manufactured by Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany.

Spevigo Biosimilars

Biosimilar and interchangeable products are biological products that are highly similar to and have no clinically meaningful differences from the reference product.

Reference products

These are biological products that have already been approved by the FDA, against which biosimilar products are compared. There is 1 for Spevigo.

Further information

Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Medical Disclaimer