Prime Therapeutics Removes Afinitor from Medicare D Formulary

Prime Therapeutics has removed Novartis’ Afinitor (everolimus) tablets and Afinitor Disperz (for oral suspension) from the Medicare Part D formulary offered by Horizon. A generic version is now available.

Afinitor is an anticancer agent approved to treat patients with breast cancer, neuroendocrine tumors of the lung and gastrointestinal, kidney tumors, and renal cell carcinoma.

Several generics of Afinitor have been approved and are available. The first generic was launched in December 2019 when Par offered three strengths: 2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 7.5 mg.

More recently, Biocon launched a generic everolimus in October 2021. It was approved in February 2021. Biocon launched four strengths: 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 7.5 mg and 10 mg. Additionally, Breckinridge Pharmaceutical launched a 10 mg strength of generic everolimus in October. The company had launched the three other strengths in the second quarter of 2021.

Previously the Horizon custom Part D formulary only included the brand Afinitor for the 10 mg strength and the Afinitor Disperz products, because those formulations and strengths were not previously available as generics, a spokesperson from Prime said by email. For the other strengths of everolimus (2.5 mg, 5 mg, and 7.5 mg), only the generic was covered. Once the 10 mg tablet and the tablets for oral suspension (e.g., the Disperz products) became available generically, the formulary was changed to cover the generics only for those formulations as well.

“We will continue our focus on innovation and enhancing capacities to launch new products that make affordable healthcare accessible to millions of patients the world over,” Siddharth Mittal, chief executive officer and managing director of Biocon, said in a statement.