Medicare Part D Plans Poorly Cover Adalimumab Biosimilars
Despite the influx of adalimumab biosimilars entering the market in 2023, Humira stays on top.
As of January 2024, each excessive and low concentrations of Humira, the originator adalimumab product, are nearly universally lined by Medicare Phase D plans, whereas fully half of these plans lined adalimumab biosimilars, per a brand contemporary review letter printed online on June 6, 2024, in JAMA.
Of the plans that lined each, fully one.5% had decrease-tier placement for biosimilars.
“This view of formulary coverage helps label cramped uptake of adalimumab biosimilars,” wrote the authors, led by Matthew Klebanoff, MD, of the College of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. “Subpar biosimilar adoption is now now not going to utterly undermine their doubtless to slash spending nonetheless furthermore can even deter investments in biosimilar construction.”
The diagnosis incorporated the formulary and enrollment info for 5609 Medicare Phase D plans, representing 44.4 million beneficiaries. Drug listing costs and total acquisition charges (WAC) were pulled from the Crimson Book database, which gives costs for prescription and over-the-counter capsules as well to clinical devices and gives.
Nearly all (98.9%) of Phase D plans lined the excessive-concentration (100 mg/mL) version of adalimumab with a WAC of $6923. This larger concentration is perchance the most in style system of the drug, making up an estimated 85% of prescriptions. By comparison, 26.8% of plans lined the excessive-concentration version of adalimumab-adaz (Hyrimoz), with a WAC 5% decrease than the reference product.
The unbranded version of adalimumab-adaz, offered at an 81% slash mark from the reference product, became lined by 13% of plans. Easiest 4.6% of plans lined excessive-concentration adalimumab-bwwd (Hadlima), manufactured by Samsung Bioepis.
In January 2024, no excessive-concentration adalimumab biosimilar had been granted interchangeability stutter by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Adalimumab-ryvk (Simlandi) became the major biosimilar to receive this designation and became launched in unhurried May maybe per chance also 2024.
Protection for the decrease concentration of adalimumab became nearly popular (98.7% of plans). About half of the plans (50.7%) lined adalimumab-adbm (Cyltezo) at a 5% slash mark. Adalimumab-adbm (Boehringer Ingelheim) became the major interchangeable Humira biosimilar well-liked by the FDA, nonetheless it’s fully interchangeable with the much less in style, decrease concentration system of adalimumab.
All other biosimilars were lined by decrease than 5% of Medicare Phase D plans, even with some having a WAC 86% beneath Humira.
Overall, 52.3% of plans lined each adalimumab biosimilars and Humira, and 46.5% of plans fully lined the reference product. A meager 1.1% of plans lined fully adalimumab biosimilars.
Few plans (1.5%) had biosimilars on most in style tiers compared with the reference product, and no plans aged prior authorization to incentivize state of biosimilars. Most plans most in style the larger-priced version of adalimumab biosimilars, which appeals to pharmacy profit managers who can therefore receive larger rebates, the authors popular.
“Finally, biosimilars’ correct attain on spending will depend now now not on their listing mark nonetheless rather on their receive mark (after rebates) and their influence on originator biologics’ receive mark,” they wrote. They pointed to the 38% fall in Humira’s annual receive mark at the discontinuance of 2023 compared with the prior year.
“Despite this mark decrease, biosimilars offer a ways larger doubtless financial savings: Plenty of adalimumab biosimilars have listing costs that are decrease than half of Humira’s receive mark,” the authors persevered, and encouraged policy makers to mandate coverage for these decrease-priced ideas.
Klebanoff became supported by a grant from the Neatly being Sources and Companies and products Administration. Two coauthors were supported by a grant from the National Institute on Rising older.
One creator reported receiving consulting fees from AbbVie, which manufactures Humira.
