DUBUQUE — MedOne Pharmacy Benefit Solutions, a full-service pharmacy benefit manager, has put parameters in place to grant access to newly approved biosimilars as soon as they come to market.
The much-anticipated biosimilars for ustekinumab, commonly known by its brand name Stelara, are set to hit the market in mid-2025. True to MedOne’s commitment to ensuring access for their members to the most appropriate prescription at the most affordable cost, MedOne has added three low-WAC biosimilars to its formulary.
“Our clients and patients do not have to wait months, or even years, to use these new cost-effective alternatives, " said Chief Pharmacy Officer Dr. Nathan Harold. "Since MedOne manages their formularies in-house, we are able to do something few can; we added low-cost Stelara biosimilars to formulary, and these will be available to patients as soon as they are stocked in pharmacies.”
The four biosimilars that have been added to formulary at the time of publication are Otulfi, Steqeyma, Yesintek, and Wezlana, the lowest of which coming in at a price point 90% less than the currently available brand name medication.
“The most exciting part is as cost comes down, we are able to better ensure more access to care which will improve clinical outcomes while being the best possible steward of our clients’ financial resources,” said Dr. Harold.
This medication is commonly prescribed for Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, plaque psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis, disease states which collectively affect 10.1 million Americans.
To date, MedOne’s biosimilar strategy has delivered a 90%+ conversion rate to the lowest net cost biosimilar. This newest iteration of the strategy expects to deliver similar results for our clients and members.
