Humana Announces Exclusive or Preferred Access to Praluent

Kentucky-based health insurance company Humana announced it will give exclusive or preferred access to alirocumab (Praluent) injection for both Medicare and commercially insured patients.

The announcement increases access for Praluent to formularies that cover in excess of 170 million lives across the United States.

Praluent is used in addition to diet and maximally tolerated statin therapy for patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) who need further lowering of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and accounts for 8 to 10 million patients.

Praluent was approved by the FDA in July 2015 as the first cholesterol-lowering proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor.

It is approved for use addition to diet and maximally tolerated statin therapy in adult patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH) or for patients with clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease such as heart attacks or strokes, who require additional lowering of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

Unlike current statins that are taken orally and have less costly generic alternatives, PCSK9 inhibitors are self-injected monoclonal antibodies that block the PCSK9 protein from inhibiting removal of LDL from the liver.

Praluent is available in 2 doses and is the only PCSK9 inhibitor at this time. These doses can be adjusted based on a patients LDL (bad cholesterol) levels.

The most recent expanded access for Praluent for formularies that cover more than 170 million people in the United States.