Posted by Michael Wonder on 22 Sep 2016
UnitedHealthcare trims coverage of key medicines, including Sanofi's insulin glargine, by switching to biosimilars
21 September 2016 - UnitedHealthcare, the largest health insurer in the US, will stop covering several brand-name medicines as of next year, reinforcing a trend of payers steering prescriptions to lower-priced options.
In a bulletin seeking client feedback by 28 September, UnitedHealthcare said it is changing reimbursement terms for long-acting insulins and will no longer cover Lantus.
The insurer said Basaglar, a cheaper biosimilar insulin glargine sold by Eli Lilly, would be covered as "Tier 1," meaning the lowest out-of-pocket costs for members. Levemir, produced by Novo Nordisk, will move from Tier 1 to Tier 2.
The insurer also said it will exclude from coverage Amgen's white blood cell-boosting drug Neupogen, in favor of Zarxio, a biosimilar sold by Novartis.
