Waltz Health and Fresenius Kabi Expand Direct Access to Biosimilars Through Waltz Connect Platform
The agreement creates a direct-to-payer route for Fresenius Kabi’s three biosimilars.
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Rhea-AI Summary
Fresenius (FSNUY) subsidiary Fresenius Kabi agreed with Waltz Health to provide direct access to three biosimilars through Waltz Connect.
The agreement covers adalimumab-aacf, Otulfi and Tyenne, which are used in treating certain inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. It expands Waltz Health’s Direct-to-Payer program into additional specialty therapeutic areas. The program uses pre-negotiated prices and a defined price per unit rather than traditional rebates. Employers and other plan sponsors contract with Waltz Health to offer eligible medicines to covered members. Final member costs vary with pharmacy fees and each plan sponsor’s benefit design.
Positive
- Minor pointThree-biosimilar agreement establishes a direct-to-payer channel for Fresenius Kabi through Waltz Connect.
Negative
- Minor pointFinal member costs vary with pharmacy fees and each plan sponsor’s benefit design.
News Explained
The announced agreement adds a fulfillment route for Fresenius Kabi’s three biosimilars: prescriptions will be filled by an EVERSANA-operated specialty pharmacy and delivered to patients’ homes, bypassing traditional wholesaler distribution.
Details
News Market Reaction – FSNUY
On Sep 29, the day this news came out, FSNUY closed 5.47% below the previous close.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the Sep 29 session.
AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.
Collaboration provides direct access to three competitively priced biosimilars through a transparent pricing model across immunology and inflammatory diseases
The agreement includes the following Fresenius Kabi biosimilars: adalimumab-aacf, a biosimilar to Humira®; Otulfi® (ustekinumab-aauz), a biosimilar to Stelara® and Tyenne® (tocilizumab-aazg), a biosimilar to Actemra.1
As biopharma is a key growth area for the company, the agreement supports Fresenius Kabi's approach to expand access to high-quality, affordable biological therapies in the
"Employers and payers are looking for new ways to access specialty medications at transparent, sustainable prices," said Jeff Park, President of Waltz Health. "By expanding into biosimilars, Waltz is opening a new pathway for manufacturers to work directly with employers and health plans while giving patients access to high-quality biosimilar therapies through a more transparent and cost-efficient model."
"Biosimilars continue to demonstrate their value in lowering the cost of biologic medicines in
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Competitive Pricing for High-Cost Specialty Categories
The partnership introduces transparent contract pricing designed to help commercial plans manage the cost of care across three major inflammatory disease categories, rheumatology, dermatology, and gastroenterology2.
- Adalimumab-aacf, the Humira biosimilar, is a medication commonly used across a range of autoimmune conditions and competes with therapies within the anti-TNF and related immunology drug classes.
- Otulfi, the Stelara biosimilar, provides employers and payers with a lower-cost alternative across therapies commonly used to treat certain autoimmune conditions such as psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease.
- Tyenne, the Actemra biosimilar, supports treatment access for patients with certain conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases.
Plan members will have access to these biosimilars offered through a transparent pricing model with a clearly defined price per unit. This structure enables Waltz Health to offer consistent, predictable pricing while improving access to biologic therapies.
Waltz Health applies a transparent, previously disclosed flat fee, with the final cost to the employee or member varying based on individual pharmacy fees and each plan sponsor's benefit design.
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Expanding Waltz Health's Direct-to-Payer Program
Waltz Health's Direct-to-Payer Programs connect employers, payers and other plan sponsors directly with pharmaceutical manufacturers through a transparent model, powered by the technology-enabled Waltz Connect platform. The programs allow manufacturers to offer medications at pre-negotiated prices without relying on traditional rebate structures, creating a direct pathway between manufacturers and plan sponsors.
Under the program, employers or other plan sponsors contract with Waltz Health to offer eligible medications to their covered members at transparent prices. Employees who receive prescriptions for participating therapies access those medications through the Waltz Connect process, where eligibility and pricing are verified before fulfillment.
Fulfillment models within Waltz Connect are designed around the needs of each manufacturer partnership. For this collaboration with Fresenius Kabi, prescriptions will be filled through a dedicated specialty pharmacy operated by EVERSANA and delivered directly to patients' homes through a specialty pharmacy distribution model. The arrangement reflects Waltz Health's expanding integration with EVERSANA's integrated commercialization platform, combining Waltz's marketplace and contracting capabilities with EVERSANA's pharmacy infrastructure and manufacturer services to support direct access programs at scale.
By bypassing traditional wholesaler distribution and rebate-driven PBM channels, the Waltz Connect model reduces intermediary costs while maintaining the clinical support and patient services typically associated with specialty pharmacy.
About Waltz Health
Waltz Health, an EVERSANA company, is a digital health company developing technologies and services that support better-informed decisions on prescription care. Designed for payers, pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers and self-insured employers, the company offers AI-driven marketplaces to lower overall drug costs, providing better pricing options and more information for consumers, while also helping payers take control of their pharmacy benefits. For more information, visit www.waltzhealth.com.
About Fresenius Kabi
Fresenius Kabi is part of the global healthcare company Fresenius and specializes in lifesaving medicines, medical technologies, and services for critically and chronically ill patients. With more than 41,000 employees and present in over 100 countries, Fresenius Kabi's broad portfolio enables access to high-quality products across emergency medicine, surgery, oncology, intensive care, and at home – reaching around 450 million patients each year.
Through complementary business areas, Fresenius Kabi offers highly complex biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune and endocrine diseases; leading enteral, parenteral and homecare solutions within medical nutrition; innovative medical technology including infusion pumps, cell and gene therapy devices, disposables and blood collection systems; and intravenous generic drugs and fluids that are vital to the work of healthcare providers globally.
For more information, please visit www.fresenius-kabi.com.
About Fresenius
Fresenius (XFRA: FRE, OTC: FSNUY) is a global, therapy-focused healthcare company dedicated to saving and improving human lives around the world. Through Fresenius Kabi and Fresenius Helios, the company delivers system-critical, innovative and affordable healthcare across the full continuum of care: Fresenius Kabi is a leading provider of lifesaving medicines, clinical nutrition, and medical technologies for critically and chronically ill patients, reaching around 450 million people each year. Fresenius Helios is Europe's largest private hospital operator, treating around 27 million patients annually.
With more than 178,000 employees and operating in more than 60 countries, Fresenius generated
For more information, visit www.fresenius.com and follow Fresenius on LinkedIn.
This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Future results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, e.g., changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory reforms, results of clinical trials, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. Fresenius Kabi does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.
For Waltz Health
Sam Moore
225-931-4081
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SOURCE Waltz Health
FAQ
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Which Fresenius Kabi biosimilars are covered by the Waltz Health agreement?
The agreement covers adalimumab-aacf, a Humira biosimilar; Otulfi, a Stelara biosimilar; and Tyenne, an Actemra biosimilar.
How will patients receive Fresenius Kabi biosimilars through Waltz Connect?
Eligible employees with prescriptions for participating therapies will have their eligibility and pricing verified through Waltz Connect before fulfillment. A dedicated specialty pharmacy operated by EVERSANA will fill prescriptions and deliver them to patients’ homes.