Novartis AG is racing to establish itself in the market for new treatments for psoriasis ahead of an anticipated price war with Amgen Inc. and Eli Lilly & Co. in the U.S., as payers of prescription bills play the drugmakers off of each other.
To lock in patients and doctors as customers, Novartis plans to introduce its Cosentyx at a price similar to Johnson & Johnson’s Stelara, the current standard treatment, said David Epstein, head of Novartis’s pharmaceuticals division. Future price rises for the therapy are unlikely, he said.
