Evernorth's Accredo specialty pharmacy will offer biosimilars for the popular immunotherapy Stelara at $0 for eligible patients, the company announced Thursday.
The interchangeable biosimilar will be produced by Evernorth's affiliate private label distributor, Quallent Pharmaceuticals, and will be available in early 2025, according to the announcement. The $0 out-of-pocket cost will be part of Quallent's copay assistance program, and Cigna expects that it will save patients about $4,000 per year on average.
In addition, the biosimilar's price will be about 80% lower than Stelara's list price, which would generate significant savings for employers and other plan sponsors that contract with Accredo, according to the announcement.
"We continue to believe in the power of biosimilars to achieve significant savings for patients and plan sponsors now and into the future," said Matt Perlberg, president of Evernorth Health Services’ pharmacy and care delivery businesses. “We are uniquely positioned to lower costs because of the leading capabilities we have in navigating the supply chain as well as the clinical expertise to help achieve the best patient health outcomes.”
The announcement comes on the heels of news in June that Accredo would make an interchangeable biosimilar for Humira available with a $0 copayment. Evernorth said 25% of Accredo patients are now on the biosim.
"We’re already seeing strong interest in the Humirabiosimilar made available to Accredo patients in June, and now we’re focused on improving affordability and access to another widely used, high-cost treatment for a variety of inflammatory conditions," said Perlberg.
More than 30,000 Accredo patients currently take Stelara, which opens the door to significant cost savings. Members are supported by Accredo's Therapeutic Resource Centers, which connect members with pharmacists or nurses around the clock, providing them with personalized care.
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