Optum’s Nuvaila Is Sole Distributor of First Stelara Biosimilar, Wezlana

  • Jan 09, 2025

    Amgen Inc. has tapped Optum Health Solution’s new biosimilars-focused private-label subsidiary Nuvaila to be the sole distributor of its Wezlana (ustekinumab-auub), the first available biosimilar of Stelara (ustekinumab) from Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine (formerly Janssen Biotech, Inc.). While such deals may be beneficial to manufacturers that can strike them, they are essentially locking out competitors that can’t from the biosimilar market, asserts an industry expert.

    Stelara is approved for the treatment of adults and pediatric patients at least 6 years old with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for phototherapy or systemic therapy, adults and pediatric patients at least 6 years old with active psoriatic arthritis, adults with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease and adults with moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis.

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  • Angela Maas

    Angela has an extensive background of editing, reporting and writing for trade and consumer publications. She has written Radar on Specialty Pharmacy since she joined AIS Health in 2005 and has broad knowledge of the various issues at play within the space. She also has written for Spotlight on Market Access since its 2017 launch. Before joining AIS Health, she was managing editor at Employee Benefit News and Employee Benefit News Canada and managing editor at Hem Aware (a hemophilia publication), Lupus Living and Momentum (a multiple sclerosis publication). She has a B.A. in English and an M.A. in British literature from Arizona State University.

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