Buy-And-Bill A Bust For Novartis's Leqvio?

The US commercial strategy for the PCSK9 inhibitor Leqvio was tied to reimbursement under Medicare Part B, but it hasn't developed the way Novartis envisioned.

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Leqvio has been more of a bust than a blockbuster to date • Source: Shutterstock

When Novartis AG acquired the PCSK9 inhibitor Leqvio (inclisiran) in 2019 through the $9.7bn acquisition of The Medicines Company, CEO Vas Narasimhan outlined an ambitious business case for commercializing the twice-yearly, injectable cholesterol-lowering drug tied directly to reimbursement under Medicare Part B in the US.

Reimbursement through Medicare Part B, or the medical benefit, rather than Medicare Part D, the pharmacy benefit, would be a key differentiator for the drug over the first generation of injectable PCSK9 drugs, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s Praluent (alirocumab) and Amgen, Inc.'s Repatha (evolocumab), the company told investors at the time

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