Biosimilars Save Members More Than 90% Over Brand-name Specialty Drugs in 2025
Blue Daily
| 3 min read
Key Takeaways
- The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan biosimilar program is saving members more than 90% off the list price of high‑cost drugs such as Humira and Stelara, cutting monthly costs from roughly $10,400 to less than $1,000.
- The shift to biosimilars could generate up to $50 million in savings for employer groups and members this year, with 99% of Humira and Stelara users now on the lower‑priced alternatives.
- Partnerships with Evio Pharmacy Solutions and a limited‑distribution specialty network enable home delivery and negotiated pricing that accelerate adoption of biosimilars.
Some of the biggest brand-name prescription drugs in the U.S. now have lower cost alternatives, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan has a strategy to provide those options with significant savings of more than 90% off list price for our employer group customers and members.
The alternative medications are called biosimilars. Blue Cross expects our work to advance biosimilars this year will give our members access to lower-cost alternatives that will save between $35 million and $50 million.
Blue Cross started in 2025 by moving members taking one of the top-selling drugs in the U.S., Humira®, to a biosimilar alternative Jan. 1. Humira is a specialty biologic drug used to treat autoimmune conditions like Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
The list price for Humira is nearly $10,400 per month, according to the Red Book® for prescription drug pricing published by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in February 2025. The preferred biosimilar medication on our plans’ covered drug lists now is Simlandi®, at savings of more than 90% off the list price.
We moved members taking Stelara, another well-known drug that treats autoimmune conditions like Crohn’s disease and psoriatic arthritis, to biosimilar YesintekTM in May. The list price for the brand-name drug is about $25,000 for a two-month dose. The move to the biosimilar provides more than 90% savings to members.
We also adopted biosimilar option Tyenne® for biologic Actemra®, another anti-inflammatory medicine treating autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, in June. And we’re planning more biosimilar moves in the future.
While we’ve had a biosimilar strategy since 2017, even more safe and effective biosimilar alternatives now are becoming available for popular and expensive medications. One way we’re working to make health care more affordable is to adopt more biosimilar drugs in faster and creative ways.
Our biosimilars strategy relies on innovation and partnership. In 2025, Blue Cross secured the best biosimilar options at the best negotiated price through our partnership with Evio Pharmacy Solutions – an independent company we launched along with five other Blue Cross and Blue Shield-licensed health plans. We paired that approach with a limited pharmacy distribution model that increases the savings by working with our Exclusive Specialty Network and giving members home delivery of their medications.
Now, 99% of our members taking Humira and Stelara are instead taking our approved biosimilars, benefitting from continued results from their medication and significantly lower costs with their Blue Cross and Blue Care Network coverage.
Learn more about Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan's commitment to affordability here.
Image: Getty Images
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