Payers Want Deep Discounts To Make Biosimilars Worth Their While

Interviews with US payers suggest that some expect discounts of 40%-50% off prices of branded drugs and that many insurers are more focused on promoting use of biosimilars in new starts, rather than switching stable patients.

US payers are expecting biosimilar manufacturers to offer significant discounts versus the originator price – as much as 40%-50% lower – to make covering knockoffs worth their while, and believe patients will vote with their pocketbooks, incentivized by low copays.

Four drugs have been approved through the dedicated biosimilars pathway in the US – Sandoz Pharmaceuticals Corp.'s Zarxio (filgrastim-sndz) in March 2015, Pfizer Inc./Celltrion Inc.'s Inflecta (infliximab-dyyb)...

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