Digital health company Waltz Health is teaming up with drugmaker Fresenius Kabi to support direct-to-employer efforts for key biosimilar medications.
Through the partnership, commercial employers, health plans and pharmacy benefit managers can access transparent pricing information for three therapeutic categories: rheumatology, dermatology and gastroenterology. The agreement encompasses three FK biosimilars, which are interchangeable with popular branded drugs Humira, Stelara and Actemra.
Teaming with Fresenius makes for Waltz's first expansion to its direct-to-employer offering, which initially partnered with Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly on GLP-1s and went live at the beginning of this year.
Jeff Park, president of Waltz Health, told Fierce Healthcare that while direct-to-consumer platforms like the White House's Trump Rx have grabbed the lion's share of attention, there's significant opportunity in the direct-to-employer space to address affordability and access.
Platforms like Waltz support access to medications by helping solve the math in the background on how much the drugs will cost at the pharmacy counter, he said, while also making the experience smoother and simpler for patients. For example, they may not be up-to-date on the status of their deductible.
"Those aren’t things we want employees to navigate," Park said. "We want the technology to figure that out."
Waltz applies a transparent and previously disclosed flat fee for medications, with the final cost for the plan sponsor and patient varying depending on pharmacy fees and the benefit design.
Through its Waltz Connect platform, members can access medications but bypass traditional wholesaler or rebate-based pharmacy benefit management contracts. Its model still includes the key clinical and patient supports provided by more traditional specialty pharmacies, the company said.
Park said that ultimately all of the stakeholders in the conversation—manufacturers, payers and patients—want to solve the equation of patient access and affordability. Part of the appeal for a drugmaker like Fresenius in partnering with Waltz is the confidence that any discounts offered to the patient are actually reaching them, he said.
"As we continue to expand our biosimilars portfolio, we remain focused on innovative partnerships that help employers and payers access high-quality treatment options," said Sang-Jin Pak, M.D., president of biopharma at Fresenius Kalbi, in the announcement. "Our collaboration with Waltz Health is a strong example of how we can work together to improve access for patients."
Park added that the company is also looking areas where it can continue building out its direct-to-payer offerings. High priority areas for payers and plan sponsors include oncology, high utilization areas like migraine medications and ongoing focuses like cardiometabolic care.
"This is all about saving money and making the current models more efficient," he said.