Humira interchangeable biosimilar Cyltezo gains preferred formulary status

German family-owned pharma major Boehringer Ingelheim has revealed that Optum Rx, a leading pharmacy benefit manager and subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, will place Cyltezo (adalimumab-adbm) on its commercial formulary as a preferred brand, which covers more than 66 million members.

Cyltezo, developed by Boehringer, is an FDA-approved interchangeable biosimilar to AbbVie’s (NYSE: ABBV) Humira (adalimumab) and was initially approved in 2017. In 2021, the FDA approved Cyltezo, a pre-filled syringe, as the first interchangeable biosimilar with AbbVie’s mega-blockbuster Humira. Last month, the FDA also cleared a new presentation, Cyltezo Pen, a new autoinjector option. Full year global sales of Humira in 2022 totalled $21.24 billion.

“Optum Rx’s decision to add Cyltezo to its formulary could benefit millions of Americans, improving access to a crucial medicine that has been a safe and effective treatment for many inflammatory conditions for the last two decades,” said Stephen Pagnotta, executive director and biosimilar commercial lead at Boehringer Ingelheim. “We are proud to bring our many decades of experience in complex biologics to the biosimilar space, enabling physicians and patients to feel confident in the science, interchangeability and manufacturing of Cyltezo,” he added.