Here comes Humira competition

Competition for Humira (adalimumab), the top-selling drug of all time, is here. July 1 marked the first day that more than one biosimilar for Humira was available in the US, and the market is starting, slowly, to shift. It’s still early days, too soon to know with confidence how much savings will be generated by forces of competition. Early indications, however, are that average net prices are falling as manufacturers jockey for market share and formulary placement. More evidence may be revealed in AbbVie’s second quarter financials, expected in the first week of August.

We’ve been watching and opining on what to expect in this pivotal moment for biosimilars and want to pass along a few of my musings, starting with a white paper from February on near-term expectations for the adalimumab market. Alex Brill wrote in April on Amgen’s dual pricing strategy for its biosimilar and in June on the impending wave of adalimumab biosimilars. Earlier this week, Brill joined a panel hosted by STAT news and yesterday was quoted in a Bloomberg piece on the topic.

We’d love to hear your thoughts. And, if you’d like to see what else we are up to, sign up to receive your newsletter.