OBJECTIVES : Rituximab-pvvr, a biosimilar of intravenously (IV) administered rituximab, was approved by the FDA for the treatment of follicular lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and microscopic polyangiitis. The present study conducted a budget impact analysis (BIA) to understand the potential financial effect of introducing rituximab-pvvr in a US health plan.

METHODS : A BIA was developed using Microsoft Excel to evaluate the budget impact of rituximab-pvvr over a 3-year time frame from a payer perspective. Target population was patients to be treated with rituximab (IV rituximab, or subcutaneous rituximab and hyaluronidase human) for approved indications, estimated based on published literature. A 70% market shift was assumed from originators to rituximab-pvvr. Drug costs of rituximab originators were based on average sales price (ASP), with a 6% mark-up. A discount of 20% was applied for rituximab-pvvr relative to IV rituximab, estimated as biosimilar ASP plus 6% of the originator’s ASP. Administration cost was based on the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. One-way sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the model robustness.

RESULTS : In a hypothetical 10-million-member health plan, 754 patients were estimated to be treated with rituximab originators or a biosimilar in year 1 and 764 patients in year 3. Switching from originators to rituximab-pvvr resulted in a total cost saving of $1,226,292 in year 1 ($0.01 per member per month [PMPM], $1,625 per patient per year [PPPY]) and $3,779,047 in year 3 ($0.03 PMPM, $4,947 PPPY), more than half attributed to DLBCL population. Varying biosimilar discount to 15% and 40% resulted in a cost saving of $792,865 and $2,960,004 respectively in year 1. Increasing ASP markup to 10% resulted in a cost saving of $1,208,964.

CONCLUSIONS : The results suggest a potential cost saving with switching from rituximab originators to biosimilar rituximab-pvvr, primarily driven by the lower cost of rituximab-pvvr.