Today’s Report spotlights a relatively insignificant event in therapy distribution. We are talking about COSTCO, yes the warehouse retailer. What they did is simply add a new drug to their pharmacy inventory, a little therapy called Steqeyma. In doing so, however, it reinforced a major shift in the specialty pharmacy industry.
Steqeyma (ustekinumab-stba), a biosimilar to Stelara (ustekinumab), has been added to the Costco Member Prescription Program. Still not impressed? Read on….
Adding a biosmilar to a prescription drug discount card program is not hugely surprising.
What is surprising is that COSTCO has been discreetly adding other specialty pharmacy therapies for several years. In fact, they are affirming that there are now “COSTCO Specialty Pharmacies.”
To be fair, a host of other retailers have been playing in the specialty pharmacy sand box for years. That COSTCO appears to be fully committed to be a player says a lot about the SP market and the shifting competitive landscape.
The company said that the formulary including the specialty products is currently available for self-funded employer plans and Costco members who are uninsured and want to pay cash for their Steqeyma prescription or who have been denied coverage by their insurers.
FYI…. Steqeyma is available in both subcutaneous injection and intravenous infusion and is indicated for the treatment of plaque psoriasis (PsO) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in adult and pediatric patients, as well as Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) in adult patients.
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