BERLIN, Feb 16 (APM) - Hospira’s Inflectra biosimilar to Remicade (infliximab) is being marketed at a 16% discount to the Johnson & Johnson/Merck & Co originator in Germany, compared to a claimed average price cut of 30% across Europe.
In Germany, a single-dose of Inflectra costs 800 euros, while a two-infusion pack of Merck & Co’s Remicade costs 1,904 euros, according to the country's drugs registry.
Celltrion’s Remicade biosimilar, Remsima, costs 858 euros for a single infusion, although, nobody was available at the Korean company to comment on the drug’s German launch.
In Spain, Remsima has a headline price of 386.93 euros including taxes which compares to Remicade at 557.63 euros. (APMMA 41485)
A Hospira Germany spokesperson told APM on Monday that there were several reasons why prices varied across Europe and the company would not reach its 30% target in Germany.
“Pricing is complex. It depends, among other factors, on the wealth of a country,” he said. Inflectra could be more expensive in Germany than in other European countries because it’s a “rich nation”, and the drug could end up being cheaper once discount negotiations with health insurers have taken place.
Hospira launched its biosimilar monoclonal antibody in autoimmune inflammatory chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, in Germany and across the EU on Monday. Paul Greenland, vice president of biologics at Hospira, told APM that while prices varied from country to country, on average the discount to Remicade was around 30%. (APMMA 41482)
Generics lobby group ProGenerika said infliximab would provide access to “modern biopharmaceutical drugs” and repeated calls for discount contracts for biosimilars to be abolished and better regulatory conditions for the drugs, in a Monday statement.
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