Biosimilars

To understand biosimilars, we must start with biologic drugs. Biologics are therapies that use living material (like human or animal cells) as a source. These therapies can help treat or manage complex conditions like arthritis, psoriasis and rare diseases.   

Biosimilars are like generic versions of biologics. As their name suggests, biosimilars are highly similar to their reference biologic, which is the original drug to which the biosimilar compares. Unlike generics, exact replicas cannot be made due to the complexity of biologics. However, biosimilars have no clinically meaningful differences from their reference products and are high quality, safe and effective treatment options.*

Biosimilars are disrupting the pharmaceutical landscape by increasing competition for biologic products. This competition ultimately lowers the cost of drugs, ensuring people have the coverage for the medications they need to stay healthy. Although the U.S. biologics market comprises 46 percent of today’s total drug spend, only about one to three percent of patients are treated by biologics.* Clearly, there are opportunities to bring down the costs of these highly focused treatments.

Biosimilars must meet rigorous safety and quality measures to demonstrate there is no clinically meaningful difference from their reference biologic. This helps to ensure both the biosimilar and reference biologic have similar effects.

In 2023, we founded Cordavis, a wholly owned subsidiary of CVS Health, to help bring a reliable pipeline of biosimilar and other pharmaceutical products to the market that patients and providers can count on. Cordavis will work with manufacturers to co-produce FDA-approved, high-quality products that are affordable and easy for patients to use. By focusing on these objectives, Cordavis aims to support a vibrant and competitive biosimilar market in the U.S. and drive sustainable cost savings for consumers well into the future.   

Cordavis is working with Sandoz to co-manufacture Hyrimoz, a biosimilar product for Humira, which treats inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis. At launch, the list price of the Cordavis Hyrimoz was 81 percent lower than the current list price of brand name Humira. As of April 1, CVS Caremark® removed the biologic Humira from its standard drug preference lists for major national commercial plans and instead preferred low-cost Humira biosimilars.  

CVS Specialty helps its patients and their prescribers navigate the complexity of this transition through industry-leading clinical therapy management, education, and administrative support.