CC - Vivus announces new discount program for Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate) through Sam’s Club –
Last week, Vivus announced that it is offering a new discount program for Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate) through Sam’s Club, effective starting May 1, 2015. Qsymia will be the only obesity pharmacotherapy on the Sam’s Club Extra Value Drug List (EVDL), which allows cash-paying patients who are premium members of Sam’s Club (known as Sam’s Plus Members) to pay a lower out-of-pocket cost for Qsymia than the $75 monthly price offered by the drug’s current discount card programs. Specific numbers were not included in the press release, and the Extra Value Drug List has not yet been updated to reflect this addition; however, the typical discount for branded drugs under the program is 10%-30% (Qsymia’s full retail price is ~$150-$200). As was highlighted in Vivus’ 4Q14 update, Qsymia is also the only obesity drug on the CVS/Caremark Performance Drug List. We are glad to see Vivus making efforts to expand patient access, as obesity drugs remain too costly for many in the current challenging reimbursement environment. Meanwhile, since the launch of Orexigen/Takeda’s Contrave (naltrexone/bupropion), which has the lowest price point of all obesity drugs thus far, we have noticed that those in the obesity market are prioritizing lowering costs for patients. For example, Eisai recently launched a new savings card for Belviq (lorcaserin), and Novo Nordisk has pointed out the importance of assistance programs in the context of its recent launch of Saxenda (liraglutide 3.0 mg). As a reminder, Vivus is also continuing to battle Teva and Actavis over patents to prevent the entry of generic versions of Qsymia. In addition to these welcome efforts by companies to expand patient access, we hope that the reimbursement climate in this area will also improve in the coming years as more payers recognize the value of currently expensive obesity drugs.