In August 2023, CVS Health Corp announced it has launched a new company called Cordavis that will work directly with manufacturers to commercialize and co-produce biosimilar medicines for the US market.
As part of this, the first partnership was announced and in 2024 Cordavis will work with Novartis' biosimilar division, Sandoz. Together they will market Hyrimoz, a version of Humira (adalimumab), AbbVie's blockbuster arthritis drug, under a Cordavis private label. This Sandoz biosimilar is approved in the US and Europe [1] and will have a list price that is more than 80% lower than the branded drug.
CVS’ Caremark is one of the largest Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) in the US. As organisations that negotiate prices with drugmakers, PBMs have come under scrutiny by US lawmakers and the Federal Trade Commission in recent times as drug prices continue to rise. A number of adalimumab biosimilars have been launched, yet prices remain high, and it has been argued that this is because the drugmakers compete with one another for leverage against PBMs.
Coherus Biosciences has recently partnered with billionaire Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs, an online pharmacy that sells directly to consumers, to market a low-cost adalimumab option [2]. Some suggest that the recent move by CVS’ Cordavis, launching an adalimumab biosimilar at an 80% discount, is a response to this deal.
The originator product, AbbVie’s Humira (adalimumab), was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in December 2002 and by the European Medicines Agency in September 2003 [3]. It has been a blockbuster drug and many biosimilar versions have been approved.
Adalimumab is a human monoclonal antibody that treats autoimmune diseases by inhibiting tumour necrosis factor (TNF), a soluble inflammatory cytokine. Adalimumab binds to TNF-alpha (TNF-α), preventing it from activating TNF receptors, which cause the inflammatory reactions associated with autoimmune diseases. Adalimumab is indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid, juvenile idiopathic and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis and ulcerative colitis [4].
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References
1. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. US and EC approvals for Hyrimoz, US approval for Udenyca autoinjector [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2023 Oct 3]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/biosimilars/news/us-and-ec-approvals-for-hyrimoz-us-approval-for-udenyca-autoinjector
2. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. Coherus: lowest price adalimumab biosimilars announced [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2023 Oct 3]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/biosimilars/news/coherus-lowest-price-adalimumab-biosimilars-announced
3. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. Biosimilars of adalimumab [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2023 Oct 3]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/biosimilars/general/Biosimilars-of-adalimumab
4. Derbyshire M. Patent expiry dates for biologicals: 2018 update. Generics and Biosimilars Initiative Journal (GaBI Journal). 2019;8(1):24-31. doi:10.5639/gabij.2019.0801.003
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