Scripius Saw 86% Net Cost Reduction After Switching to Stelara Biosimilars

Change can be difficult, but when Scripius switched to Stelara biosimilars this summer, the results were swift and the cost savings, large.

Within one month, the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) saw a 98% conversion rate in its commercial population, a 95% conversion rate in its Medicare population and a 100% conversion rate in its Medicaid population, resulting in an 86% net cost reduction, according to Cody Olsen, Pharm.D., director of pharmacy, PBM formularies at Scripius, the in-house PBM of the Intermountain Health health system in Salt Lake City, Utah.

In an interview conducted at the 2025 Annual National Conference of the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute earlier this month in Orlando, Florida, Olsen discussed Scripius’ biosimilar policies and programs.

Olsen ascribed the success of removing Stelara from its formulary and switching to Selarsdi and Pyzchiva to “communicating well ahead of time that that was the plan” and working with its specialty pharmacies and making sure that physicians were aware of the change.

“We had done our homework ahead of time,” he said.

Olsen said Scripius also looked into patient assistance programs and autoloaded prior authorizations for those drugs. And because Selarsdi and Pyzchiva are interchangeable at the pharmacy, no new prescriptions were needed, he said.