STAT Plus: Tiny Denmark saved lots of money on biosimilar Humira, while Americans are still paying big bucks
For those yearning for the day when biosimilars save the U.S. health care system huge amounts of money, consider a recent episode in Denmark.
In October 2018, the patent expired on Humira, a big-selling biologic drug that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and other ailments. The Danish government moved quickly and began accepting bids from companies that make biosimilar versions, which are nearly identical variants that are expected to yield the same health outcomes, but cost less than pricey brand-name biologics.
