Oct. 29, 2024

Beginning Jan. 1, 2025, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and BlueChoice^® HealthPlan will transition coverage from Humira^® (brand name) to the preferred biosimilar products, Amjevita^TM and Hadlima^TM (40mg/0.8mL), for our Commercial and Exchange formularies.

Biosimilars are nearly identical to approved drugs like Humira, working the same way and undergoing rigorous testing to ensure its safety and effectiveness. While brand name drugs can be costly, biosimilars like Amjevita and Hadlima are more cost-effective. Both are available in citrate free, latex free, prefilled syringe, and auto injector formulations.

Letters will be mailed to members impacted by this upcoming change. Be sure to work with your patients to ensure a new prescription is sent to their preferred pharmacy. If your patient has an active prior authorization for Humira, it will carry over to the preferred biosimilar and covered alternative until it expires. You will not need to submit a new prior authorization until the current one expires.

If you have any questions, reach out to Provider Education at Provider.Education@bcbssc.com. 

BlueChoice HealthPlan is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.