Infliximab price wars

Generics and biosimilars Initiative

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Infliximab price wars

Biosimilares/Novedades | Posted 04/12/2015 0 Post your comment

Merck has reportedly slashed the price of its blockbuster Remicade (Infliximab) in the UK in order to fight off growing competition from infliximab biosimilars.

Merck is offering about £48 million (US$74 million) in rebates and discounts to the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) on £191 million (US$291.89 million) sales of Remicade.

Two months ago, Napp Pharmaceuticals (Napp), part of Mundipharma’s worldwide network of associated pharmaceutical companies that distributes Celltrion’s infliximab biosimilar Remsima across Europe and the UK [1], complained of slow uptake by the NHS for Remsima. ‘Data shows that uptake in the UK is less than 5% of the original brand,’ the company said in a statement. At the time, Napp’s Director of Market Access, Mr Andrew Roberts, said: ‘The NHS has missed out on significant cost savings over the past six months due to the lack of uptake of biosimilar infliximab; cost savings that are vital when the NHS is seeking over £20 billion [US$30.56 billion] in efficiency savings.’

Merck said in July 2015 that global sales of Remicade had dropped by 25% in the second quarter after biosimilars entered the market in Europe. According to Merck, their latest rebates compare favourably with discounts of between 25% and 30% which they say are being offered by Napp and Hospira on their infliximab biosimilars.

In a subsequent statement issued by Napp, the company said that the level of discounts that competitors have attributed to its products are not correct. A Napp spokesperson said it has offered Remsima to the NHS ‘at discounts of 40‒50% over the list price of Remicade, depending on the price agreed with each tendering region across the UK’. Apparently discounts rise to between 50% and 60% if money returned to the government through the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) is taken into account.

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References
1. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. Infliximab biosimilar to be distributed by Mundipharma [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2015 Dec 4]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/Biosimilars/News/Infliximab-biosimilar-to-be-distributed-by-Mundipharma

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