(Reuters) – Boehringer Ingelheim’s biosimilar of AbbVie Inc’s blockbuster arthritis drug Humira will be included in the reimbursement list of UnitedHealth Group Inc’s OptumRx unit, the German drugmaker said on Friday.
The addition of the drug, Cyltezo, comes ahead of its U.S. launch on July 1. It will be offered on OptumRx’s commercial formulary as a preferred brand, Boehringer said.
Cyltezo was approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration as a Humira biosimilar in 2021.
Rival Amgen Inc was the first to launch a biosimilar of Humira earlier this year and half a dozen other companies including Teva Pharmaceutical plan to launch cheaper versions of Humira in the U.S. market in July.
Humira, once the world’s top selling drug, generated $21.24 billion in revenue for AbbVie in 2022.
OptumRx is a pharmacy benefit manager, which negotiates rebates and fees with drug manufacturers, create lists of medications that are covered by insurance, and reimburse pharmacies for patients’ prescriptions.
AbbVie’s shares were flat in afternoon trading.
(Reporting by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
