Pfizer/Boehringer Spiriva Launched At 30% Discount To Advair For COPD
Executive Summary
Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim are launching the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease therapy Spiriva at a 30% discount to the average wholesale price of GlaxoSmithKline's Advair
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Pfizer and Boehringer Ingelheim are launching the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease therapy Spiriva at a 30% discount to the average wholesale price of GlaxoSmithKline's Advair . A 30-day supply of Spiriva (tiotropium) lists for $115.20 AWP, Pfizer said, or 30% less than GSK's Advair (fluticasone/salmeterol). Spiriva will be sold in packages of six or 30 once-daily 18 mcg "Handihaler" capsules. Advair carries an AWP of $163.41 for 60 doses (a 30-day supply) of the 250/50 mcg "Diskus" inhaler, according to First DataBank's Price Alert. Advair is indicated for the treatment of asthma as well as COPD; the 250/50 mcg dose is the only approved strength for COPD. Spiriva is available now in pharmacies nationwide. The drug was approved by FDA for the long-term treatment of bronchospasm associated with COPD Jan. 30. Pfizer and Boehringer waited four months to launch Spiriva to ensure sufficient quantities ahead of what they expect will be significant demand for the product. (1 (Also see "Pfizer/Boehringer Spiriva Clears FDA For COPD; Launch Set For Summer" - Pink Sheet, 9 Feb, 2004.), p. 18). Spiriva's price is a 13.7% premium to GSK's single-agent salmeterol Serevent Diskus ($101.30 AWP) and 19.4% higher than Schering-Plough's Foradil ($96.48 AWP) for 30-day supplies, according to Price Alert. Serevent and Foradil (formoterol) are approved for COPD as twice-daily inhalations. Advair is available at retail prices of up to 20% below AWP under the Medicare-endorsed drug discount card program. According to pricing data on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website as of May 24, Public Sector Partners is offering the lowest price for Advair in the Washington, D.C. area at $131.14 for a 30-day supply, or 20% off of AWP. Medicare Rx pricing data for Spiriva has not yet been submitted to CMS' website. Another COPD therapy, GSK's Ariflo (cilomast), has been "approvable" at FDA since March 2002 pending the results of a long-term safety study (2 (Also see "GSK Flovent/Advair Diskus Needs More COPD Data; Serevent Cleared For COPD" - Pink Sheet, 1 Apr, 2002.), p. 27). |