How can I save money on Humira if there's no generic available?
Humira is a brand-name medication without a generic currently available in the U.S.
Since there is no generic competition, the manufacturer, AbbVie, is able to charge the highest price they believe American consumers will pay. Currently, a month supply of Humira can cost around $5,500 without insurance at your local U.S. pharmacy.
What is Humira?
Humira (Adalimumab Injection) is used alone or with other medications to help alleviate the symptoms of certain disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, ankylosing spondylitis, often referred to as autoimmune diseases, in which healthy parts of the body are attacked by the immune system. These attacks cause swelling, pain, and damage. Humira works by blocking the action of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a substance in the body that causes inflammation.
How can I save money on Humira?
1. PharmacyChecker offers discount cards for use at your local pharmacy. To search discount cards available to print and use at your local U.S. pharmacy, scroll to the bottom of the Humira price page and enter your ZIP Code to find the discounts in your area. You should be able to save around 10% by using the U.S. Prescription Discount Card.
When you choose a pharmacy, click the big purple price button. Then, click "Print This Card" and you are all set to obtain your discount at the pharmacy of your choice.
2. PharmacyChecker.com also offers a search tool for patient assistance programs. Many pharmaceutical companies offer aid with the cost of medications through patient assistance programs.
Humira Patient Assistance Program
3. Ask your healthcare provider for an alternative prescription used for the same indication as Humira that your insurance plan may cover or be less expensive.
Is generic Humira available?
There is currently no generic version of Humira available in the U.S. or at verified international online pharmacies.
Humira was approved for sale in the U.S. on December 31, 2002. The patent on Humira’s main molecule expired in 2016, but some experts don’t expect a biosimilar until possibly 2023 because AbbVie, the company behind Humira, has recently gathered more than seventy newer patents that cover formulations of the drug, manufacturing methods and use for specific diseases.
Humira is a biologic medication, which means it was created from living cells. This makes it very difficult to replicate exactly and protects Humira even more from generic competition. The FDA has urged competitors to create biosimilars in an effort to help decrease the cost of expensive biologics drugs. However, unlike a generic drug, biosimilars are not interchangeable with the original brand drugs and are still expensive.
Amgen has created a Biosimilar Humira, called Amjevita, and it has been approved in the U.S. It is expected to be available for sale in the U.S. market on January 31, 2023.
Can I order Humira from international online pharmacies?
The cost of a year supply of Humira sold in Canada is $20,186.
Humira is a temperature-sensitive medication and requires cold chain management during shipment. To best guarantee safe shipment, pharmacies in the PharmacyChecker Verification Program must ensure that shipments of Humira are not exposed to temperatures below 2 degrees or above 8 degrees Celsius.
There are currently no PharmacyChecker-verified pharmacies shipping refrigerated products internationally to patients in the U.S. We hope Canadian pharmacies will supply refrigerated medications, such as Humira, to U.S. customers with a valid prescription in the near future.
