US Veterans Affairs to replace Humira with biosimilar on national formulary
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Key takeaways:
- Hadlima was approved as a biosimilar to Humira in 2019.
- The drug is available in a pre-filled syringe or a trademarked autoinjector.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will replace Humira with the biosimilar Hadlima on its national formulary, according to a press release from Organon, which markets biosimilar.
Hadlima (adalimumab-bwwd; Organon, Samsung Bioepis) is a TNF inhibitor indicated for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. It became the fourth FDA-approved biosimilar to Humira (adalimumab, AbbVie) in 2019.
“America’s veterans deserve access to quality medicines at a lower cost,” Organon CEO Kevin Ali said in the release. “We applaud the VA for its leadership in championing biosimilars and including all three of Organon’s biosimilars available in the U.S. on its formulary.”
Hadlima can be delivered via pre-filled syringe or the PushTouch Autoinjector, which is designed for ease-of-use “with a thin 29G needle, a latex-free needle cover and a buttonless device with a sure-grip shape and a non-slip surface,” according to the release. It is available in a citrate-free high concentration (40 mg/0.4 mL) and citrate-containing low concentration (40 mg/0.8 mL).
“We are proud to support the more than 9 million people enrolled in the VA health care system through this collaboration, which is a great example of industry and public sector working together,” Ali added.
The announcement follows a similar decision from CVS Caremark, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefit managers, which in January stated its intent to remove Humira from its major national commercial formularies effective April 1 in favor of biosimilar options.
The company at the time added that expanding biosimilar access is “essential” to reducing drug costs and increasing treatment options. According to CVS Health, the U.S. biosimilar is expected to increase from less than $10 billion in 2022 to more than $100 billion by 2029.
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