$0 Humira Biosimilar
Lowering Patient Costs by $3,500 Per Year
Driving Long-Term Patient Affordability and Access
In an important step toward long-term affordability and access to treatments for chronic and complex conditions, Evernorth Health Services will now have a Humira biosimilar available for $0 out-of-pocket for eligible patients of its specialty pharmacy Accredo. Using Evernorth’s drug pricing negotiating power, this biosimilar offering will create both immediate and long-term savings for patients, plan sponsors – including employers, and the health care system as a whole.
- Patients will save an estimated $3,500 on average per year.
- For plan sponsors, the biosimilar will cost $1,000 per 30-day fill – more than 85% lower than Humira’s current list price.
Biosimilar Details
Building on a legacy of supporting generic and biosimilar access, Evernorth has taken a methodical and effective approach to ensure long-term biosimilar access and value:
- $0 biosimilar is interchangeable and available in high and low concentrations.
- Produced in partnership with multiple drug manufacturers and our private label pharmaceutical distributor, Quallent Pharmaceuticals.
- Since 2021, Quallent has sourced select pharmaceuticals from FDA-approved manufacturers to help provide patients safe, affordable, and uninterrupted access to medication.
Patient Impact
- Eligible patients with commercial plan benefits will pay $0 out-of-pocket through Quallent’s copay assistance program.
- Patients will fill their prescription through Accredo, which serves people with complex and chronic conditions.
- More than 100,000 Accredo patients currently use either Humira or one of its biosimilars and receive best-in-class clinical support.
Importance of Interchangeable Biosimilars
- Biosimilars (lower-cost, clinically equivalent alternatives to existing biologic drugs) have the potential to significantly lower costs through competition and improve patient access.
- Interchangeable biosimilars hold particular promise for patient affordability.
- Interchangeability is a regulatory designation that allows pharmacists to automatically substitute a biosimilar for its reference drug, similar to generics.
- To further increase biosimilar adoption, policymakers should eliminate the statutory distinction between the approval standard for biosimilars and interchangeable biosimilars – deeming all approved biosimilars to be interchangeable with their respective reference products. The Food and Drug Administration notes this change “would make the U.S. biosimilar program more consistent with current scientific understanding” and align “with the approach adopted by other major regulatory jurisdictions such as the European Union.”
- By embracing biosimilar interchangeability when clinically appropriate, we can help address the financial impact of ultra-high-cost medicines.
This announcement builds on previous steps Evernorth has taken to prefer biosimilars when clinically appropriate, including adding three Humira biosimilars to its largest formulary in 2023.
Evernorth has advocated for years for a safe, effective way to speed approval and market entry of biosimilars. Visit our biosimilars policy page to learn more.