UnitedHealth to remove AbbVie's Humira from some US drug reimbursement lists next year
By Patrick Wingrove
Sept 10 (Reuters) -UnitedHealth Group UNH.N said on Tuesday it will remove AbbVie’s ABBV.N blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira from some of its lists of preferred drugs for reimbursement as of Jan. 1, 2025, and recommend less expensive biosimilar versions of the medicine instead.
UnitedHealth said Amgen's AMGN.O Amjevita will be among the biosimilars covered on its lists for commercial health plans, which are managed by its pharmacy benefits unit, Optum Rx.
Optum is the last of the three largest U.S. pharmacy benefits managers to announce Humira's exclusion. The three benefits managers together control around 80% of the U.S. prescription drug market.
Cigna CI.N announced last month that it would remove Humira from some of its lists in 2025, following similar action by CVS Health's CVS.N Caremark unit in April. CVS's move led more patients to switch to Sandoz's SDZ.S biosimilar version of Humira in three weeks than had switched in the prior 15 months.
Cigna has said Boehringer Ingelheim's Cyltezo, Simlandi from Teva TEVA.TA and Alvotech ALVO.O and an unbranded version of Sandoz's Hyrimoz will be covered on its lists in place of Humira next year.
UnitedHealth said patients will have a way to get coverage for Humira until the preferred biosimilars on its plans are designated interchangeable by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, meaning they can be substituted for the original without consulting the prescriber. The FDA is expected to grant that designation in 2025, United said.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission in July criticized pharmacy benefit managers, which negotiate fees and volume-based discounts on behalf of payers with drugmakers and pharmacies, for exercising outsized influence over prescription drug prices.
The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association - an industry lobbying group - said in response that the companies provide value to the U.S. health system by reducing prescription drug costs and increasing access to medicines.
AbbVie has retained most of the U.S. market for Humira this year, despite the launch of 10 biosimilar alternatives to the drug since January 2023 from companies including Pfizer PFE.N. AbbVie negotiated favorable positions on insurance drug coverage lists managed by pharmacy benefits managers.
The U.S. market share for Humira biosimilars stands at nearly 20%, compared with 2.2% in the first quarter of this year, Barclays analysts said in a note on Monday.
AbbVie did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but said earlier this year that it expects to retain a lower share of the Humira market in 2025.
Reporting by Patrick Wingrove in New York
Editing by Matthew Lewis
免责声明: XM Group仅提供在线交易平台的执行服务和访问权限，并允许个人查看和/或使用网站或网站所提供的内容，但无意进行任何更改或扩展，也不会更改或扩展其服务和访问权限。所有访问和使用权限，将受下列条款与条例约束：(i) 条款与条例；(ii) 风险提示；以及(iii) 完整免责声明。请注意，网站所提供的所有讯息，仅限一般资讯用途。此外，XM所有在线交易平台的内容并不构成，也不能被用于任何未经授权的金融市场交易邀约和/或邀请。金融市场交易对于您的投资资本含有重大风险。
所有在线交易平台所发布的资料，仅适用于教育/资讯类用途，不包含也不应被视为用于金融、投资税或交易相关咨询和建议，或是交易价格纪录，或是任何金融商品或非应邀途径的金融相关优惠的交易邀约或邀请。
本网站上由XM和第三方供应商所提供的所有内容，包括意见、新闻、研究、分析、价格、其他资讯和第三方网站链接，皆保持不变，并作为一般市场评论所提供，而非投资性建议。所有在线交易平台所发布的资料，仅适用于教育/资讯类用途，不包含也不应被视为适用于金融、投资税或交易相关咨询和建议，或是交易价格纪录，或是任何金融商品或非应邀途径的金融相关优惠的交易邀约或邀请。请确保您已阅读并完全理解，XM非独立投资研究提示和风险提示相关资讯，更多详情请点击 这里。
