J&J’s Stelara Targeted for Price Cuts as Low-Cost Version Nears

Amid the names of 10 blockbuster drugs subject to first-time US price negotiations, one surprise stood out: Johnson & Johnson’s Stelara, a treatment for autoimmune disorders.

Drugs that face competition from lower-cost equivalents are supposed to be exempt from the negotiations with the US Medicare program. But Stelara’s last US patent expires this September, and a biosimilar version from Alvotech SA and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is expected by 2025. That means a low-cost competitor to Stelara may already be available by the time negotiated prices take effect in 2026.

The dynamic shows how the pricing measures in President Joe ...