Sandoz launches rival version of AbbVie’s arthritis drug Humira By Reuters

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<span>© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: The logo of Swiss drugmaker Novartis and its divisions Sandoz and Alcon are seen at an office building in Rotkreuz, Switzerland, January 29, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/Fle Photo</span><br />
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<p>(Reuters) – Swiss drugmaker Sandoz said on Saturday it had launched a biosimilar version of <span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Corporation"><span itemprop="name"> AbbVie Inc </span></span> (NYSE:)’s big selling arthritis treatment Humira, adding to U.S. competition for the drug that started in January. </p>
<p>The Novartis-owned company said its drug, Hyrimoz, will be priced at a 5% discount off Humira’s current list price of $6,922 per month, but that it was also offering an unbranded version of Humira at an 81% discount.</p>
<p>Healthcare experts have said that drugmakers will probably launch their Humira biosimilars with small discounts to appeal to pharmacy benefit managers, which take some of their fees as a percentage of the discounts they negotiate on behalf of their customers – large employers and health insurance plans.</p>
<p>The lower-priced version may attract healthcare systems that act as both an insurer and a provider and typically do not seek after-market discounts, as pharmacy benefit managers do.</p>
<p>Biosimilars are developed to work like an original, branded biotech drug, but are not necessarily exact copies, like traditional generic medicines, because they are cultivated in living cells.</p>
<p>Rival <span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Corporation"><span itemprop="name"> Amgen Inc </span></span> (NASDAQ:) was the first to launch a biosimilar of Humira earlier this year, which debuted at a 5% and 55% discount to Humira, depending on who was purchasing.</p>
<p>At least nine copies of Humira, which also treats conditions like ulcerative colitis and psoriasis, from companies including <span itemscope="" itemtype="http://schema.org/Corporation"><span itemprop="name"> Pfizer </span></span> Inc (NYSE:) and South Korea’s Celltrion are expected to be available in the United States by the end of the year. </p>
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<br /><a href="https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/sandoz-launches-rival-version-of-abbvies-arthritis-drug-humira-3118167">Source link </a></p><p>The post <a href="https://forextraderhub.com/sandoz-launches-rival-version-of-abbvies-arthritis-drug-humira-by-reuters.html">Sandoz launches rival version of AbbVie’s arthritis drug Humira By Reuters</a> first appeared on <a href="https://forextraderhub.com">Forex Trader Hub</a>.</p>