AbbVie's massive Humira discounts are stifling Netherlands biosimilars: report

Could a drug's price ever be too low? That’s what some market-watchers are asking in the Netherlands, where AbbVie is discounting Humira as much as 89%. The De Groene Amsterdammer dug into the procurement process for Humira biosimilars after they launched in Europe last year and turned up aggressive discounts that have effectively held off biosimilar rivals. And some of those would-be competitors have pulled back from the market because of those discounts, the newspaper reports. At least 70% of Dutch patients remain on Humira, according to the publication. And no wonder: AbbVie struck a discount of up to 89% in one case to retain business for its original biologic Those discounts could be a red flag for Humira's sales outside the U.S. this year, Bernstein analyst Ronny Gal figures. His team had expected ex-U.S. Humira sales to fall 35% this year, “but if that report is indicative of the broader environment, cuts may be much deeper," he wrote in a note Monday.