Prime Therapeutics Adds the Biosimilar Semglee to Preferred Formulary
Prime’s formularies will include the insulin biosimilar over the reference product Lantus beginning in January 2022.
Prime Therapeutics will add Viatris’ biosimilar Semglee (insulin glargine-yfgn) injection, co-developed with Biocon Biologics, to its national formularies beginning Jan. 1, 2022, removing the reference product Sanofi’s Lantus. Prime anticipates no significant member disruption and affordability will be comparable or better with the biosimilar.
Joseph Leach, M.D.
“Payers and prescribers need to embrace these effective alternatives, just as they did years ago with generics, so we can help drive down rising health care costs for everyone,” Joseph Leach, M.D., chief medical officer at Prime, said in a statement.
The FDA approved Semglee in July 2021 to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes and in adults with type 2 diabetes. It is interchangeable with Lantus, a long-acting insulin analog. Semglee is the first interchangeable biosimilar product approved in the United States for the treatment of diabetes. Semglee, offered in 10 mL vials and 3 mL prefilled pens, is administered subcutaneously once daily. It is not recommended for treating diabetic ketoacidosis.
Express Scripts has also made the decision to include Semglee as a preferred product on its National Formulary.
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