Scripius Favors Adding Two Biosimilars at a Time, Says Formulary Director

Pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) formulary placement plays a crucial role in how a biosimilar will fare in the market.

In an interview conducted at the 2025 Annual Conference of the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute, Cody Olsen, Pharm.D., the director of Pharmacy, PBM formularies at Scripius, discussed biosimilars and Scripius' policy of putting two biosimilars at a time on its formularies. "It's not a rule but it generally ends up being about two products in each of these categories," Olsen said.

A pair of biosimilars allows for more flexibility, he said, and if there is a shortage, patients are still able to get the drug, he said.

Scripius, a PBM owned and operated by the Intermountain Health health system, bills itself as having "total transparency" and "cost shielding" strategies.

Olsen noted, though, that when the first biosimilar to Humira (adalimumab) came out, Scripius didn't wait and made the switch immediately for its Medicaid population "and realized a lot of cost savings there."

"But generally, yes, we're looking till there are at least going to be two [biosimilars] on the market," Olsen said. "We're talking to the manufacturers well ahead of release, trying to get an idea, get bids on, on contracting options." Olsen noted that in the case of Stelara (ustekinumab), a number of

biosimilars became available at the same time.

Scripius announced in May that it was removing Stelara from its standard large employer formularies as of July 1, 2025, and replacing it with Pyzchiva (ustekinumab-ttwe) and Selarsdi (ustekinumab-aekn). The announcement said the two biosimilars deliver a wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) savings of 80%-85% compared to Stelara.