Celltrion, Hospira, J&J, Merck, Orion sales and marketing update

According to the drug procurement cooperation (LIS) in Norway, the 2015 price for the first year’s supply of Celltrion’s biosimilar Remsima infliximab for rheumatoid arthritis is NOK26,011 ($3,428.25) compared to NOK41,244 ($5,435.96) for Hospira’s biosimilar Inflectra infliximab and NOK83,438 ($10,997.13) for Merck and Johnson & Johnson’s Remicade infliximab. LIS defines a year’s worth of RA treatment as three loading doses of 3 mg/kg followed by a maintenance 3 mg/kg dose every eight weeks for a 75 kg patient. In 2014, the Norwegian price for the first year’s supply for RA was NOK51,558 ($6,795.34) for Remsima; NOK56,987 ($7,510.98) for Inflectra; and NOK84,787 ($11,174.93) for Remicade.

For ankylosing spondylitis, Crohn’s disease (CD), psoriatic arthritis, psoriasis and ulcerative colitis (UC), the 2015 price for the first year’s supply of Remsima is NOK43,352 ($5,713.79); NOK68,740 ($9,059.93) for Inflectra; and NOK139,063 ($18,328.50) for Remicade. LIS defines a year’s supply for the indications as three loading doses of 5 mg/kg followed by a maintenance 5 mg/kg dose every eight weeks for a 75 kg patient. In 2014, the price was NOK85,980 ($11,332.16) for Remsima; NOK94,978 ($12,518.10) for Inflectra; and NOK141,311 ($18,624.79) for Remicade. ...