Oklahoma Health Care Authority and Amgen Enter into Value-Based Contract for Enbrel® (etanercept)

Amgen has long sought to partner with payers on contracts where we share risk and accountability for health outcomes to better ensure that patients can access needed medicines. To date, we have entered into more than 30 of these contracts across the U.S. We recently entered into our first value-based contract with a state Medicaid program, signing an agreement with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) and Pharmacy Management Consultants (PMC) for Amgen's Enbrel® (etanercept), a biologic medicine that treats certain autoimmune conditions.

Amgen previously entered into a partnership with OHCA in 2018 to better understand treatment and hospitalization patterns, heightened disease risks and other clinical indicators for SoonerCare patients living with autoimmune diseases, osteoporosis, migraine and certain cancers. This initial collaboration laid the groundwork for the current value-based Enbrel® contract, based on real-world product use.

"OHCA continuously looks for ways to improve our member's health, provide options for care, and be fiscally responsible for our state dollars. Agreements like this one help us to contribute to that mission." said Terry Cothran, Pharmacy Director. "The most expensive medications are the ones patients don't take, and this contract ensures the net cost is limited to patients maintaining their prescribed treatment."

The agreement stipulates outcomes-based supplemental rebates paid to OHCA if the patient chooses to discontinue their prescribed therapy after an initial treatment period of 90 days, reducing Medicaid net spending on Enbrel® by removing patients who start – but do not remain – on the medicine. Enbrel® is a preferred option allowing flexibility for Medicaid patients to access and continue on the most suitable therapeutic.    

"Our long-term collaboration with the Oklahoma Health Care Authority is part of our commitment to building a sustainable health care system through collaborations with private and public partners", said Kave Niksefat, Vice President, U.S. Value & Access at Amgen. "Value-based agreements are a win-win for patients and insurers by sharing risk, helping to ensure that our medicines improve clinical patient outcomes, and deliver good value for the health care system."

About the Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA)
OHCA administers two health programs for the state. The first is SoonerCare, Oklahoma's Medicaid program. SoonerCare works to improve the health of qualified Oklahomans by ensuring that medically necessary benefits and services are available. Qualifying Oklahomans include certain low-income children, seniors, the disabled, those being treated for breast or cervical cancer and those seeking family planning services. The second program OHCA operates is Insure Oklahoma, which assists qualifying adults and small business employees in obtaining health care coverage for themselves and their families. Currently, there are 856,777 Oklahomans enrolled in OHCA's programs. The agency contracts with a state-wide network of 60,000 providers. For more information, visit www.okhca.org or www.insureoklahoma.org.

About Pharmacy Management Consultants
Pharmacy Management Consultants, managed by the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, provides operational, consultant and educational services to OHCA through a professional services contract with the University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy. These services primarily support OHCA in its administration of pharmacy benefits to Oklahoma SoonerCare members and in its efforts to meet Federal OBRA requirements related to Drug Utilization Review.

ENBREL indications in the U.S.:

  • ENBREL is indicated for reducing signs and symptoms, inducing major clinical response, inhibiting the progression of structural damage, and improving physical function in patients with moderately-to-severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ENBREL can be initiated in combination with methotrexate (MTX) or used alone.
  • ENBREL is indicated for reducing signs and symptoms of moderately-to-severely active polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis in patients ages two and older.
  • ENBREL is indicated for reducing signs and symptoms, inhibiting the progression of structural damage of active arthritis, and improving physical function in patients with psoriatic arthritis. ENBREL can be used with or without methotrexate.
  • ENBREL is indicated for reducing signs and symptoms in patients with active ankylosing spondylitis.
  • ENBREL is indicated for the treatment of patients 4 years or older with chronic moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy.

ENBREL U.S. Important Safety Information

Patients treated with ENBREL are at increased risk for developing serious infections that may lead to hospitalization or death. Most patients who developed these infections were taking concomitant immunosuppressants such as methotrexate or corticosteroids or were predisposed to infection because of their underlying disease. ENBREL should not be initiated in the presence of sepsis, active infections, or allergy to ENBREL or its components. ENBREL should be discontinued if a patient develops a serious infection or sepsis. Reported infections include: 1) Active tuberculosis (TB), including reactivation of latent TB. Patients with TB have frequently presented with disseminated or extrapulmonary disease. Patients should be tested for latent TB before ENBREL use and periodically during therapy. Treatment for latent infection should be initiated prior to ENBREL use, 2) Invasive fungal infections, including histoplasmosis, coccidioidomycosis, candidiasis, aspergillosis, blastomycosis, and pneumocystosis. Patients with histoplasmosis or other invasive fungal infections may present with disseminated, rather than localized, disease. Antigen and antibody testing for histoplasmosis may be negative in some patients with active infection. Empiric antifungal therapy should be considered in patients at risk for invasive fungal infections who develop severe systemic illness, and 3) Bacterial, viral, and other infections due to opportunistic pathogens, including Legionella and Listeria.

The risks and benefits of treatment with ENBREL should be carefully considered prior to initiating therapy in patients 1) with chronic or recurrent infection, 2) who have been exposed to TB, 3) who have resided or traveled in areas of endemic TB or endemic mycoses, or 4) with underlying conditions that may predispose them to infections such as advanced or poorly controlled diabetes. Patients should be closely monitored for the development of signs and symptoms of infection during and after treatment with ENBREL, including the possible development of TB in patients who tested negative for latent TB prior to initiating therapy.

Lymphoma and other malignancies, some fatal, have been reported in children and adolescent patients treated with tumor necrosis factor (TNF) blockers, including ENBREL. 

In adult clinical trials of all TNF blockers, more cases of lymphoma were seen compared to control patients. The risk of lymphoma may be up to several-fold higher in RA patients. The role of TNF blocker therapy in the development of malignancies is unknown. Cases of acute and chronic leukemia have been reported in association with postmarketing TNF blocker use in RA and other indications. The risk of leukemia may be higher in patients with RA (approximately 2-fold) than the general population. Melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) have been reported in patients treated with TNF blockers, including ENBREL. Periodic skin examinations should be considered for all patients at increased risk for skin cancer. In patients who initiated therapy at ≤ 18 years of age, approximately half of the reported malignancies were lymphomas (Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma). Other cases included rare malignancies usually associated with immunosuppression and malignancies that are not usually observed in children and adolescents. Most of the patients were receiving concomitant immunosuppressants.

Treatment with TNF-blocking agents, including ENBREL, has been associated with rare (< 0.1%) cases of new onset or exacerbation of central nervous system demyelinating disorders, some presenting with mental status changes and some associated with permanent disability, and with peripheral nervous system demyelinating disorders. Cases of transverse myelitis, optic neuritis, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré syndromes, other peripheral demyelinating neuropathies, and new onset or exacerbation of seizure disorders have been reported in postmarketing experience with ENBREL therapy. Prescribers should exercise caution in considering the use of ENBREL in patients with preexisting or recent-onset central or peripheral nervous system demyelinating disorders.

Cases of worsening congestive heart failure (CHF) and, rarely, new-onset cases have been reported in patients taking ENBREL. Caution should be used when using ENBREL in patients with CHF. These patients should be carefully monitored. Rare cases of pancytopenia, including aplastic anemia, some fatal, have been reported. The causal relationship to ENBREL therapy remains unclear. Exercise caution when considering ENBREL in patients who have a previous history of significant hematologic abnormalities. Advise patients to seek immediate medical attention if they develop signs or symptoms of blood dyscrasias or infection. Consider discontinuing ENBREL if significant hematologic abnormalities are confirmed. Reactivation of hepatitis B has been reported in patients who were previously infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and received concomitant TNF-blocking agents, including ENBREL. Most reports occurred in patients also taking immunosuppressive agents, which may contribute to hepatitis B reactivation. Exercise caution when considering ENBREL in these patients.

Allergic reactions associated with administration of ENBREL during clinical trials have been reported in < 2% of patients. If an anaphylactic reaction or other serious allergic reaction occurs, administration of ENBREL should be discontinued immediately and appropriate therapy initiated. Live vaccines should not be administered to patients on ENBREL. Pediatric patients, if possible, should be brought up to date with all immunizations prior to initiating ENBREL. In patients with exposure to varicella virus, temporarily discontinue ENBREL and consider prophylactic treatment with Varicella Zoster Immune Globulin. Autoantibodies may develop with ENBREL, and rarely lupus-like syndrome or autoimmune hepatitis may occur. These may resolve upon withdrawal of ENBREL. Stop ENBREL if lupus-like syndrome or autoimmune hepatitis develops. The use of ENBREL in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis receiving immunosuppressive agents (e.g., cyclophosphamide) is not recommended. Based on a study of patients treated for alcoholic hepatitis, exercise caution when using ENBREL in patients with moderate-to-severe alcoholic hepatitis.

The most commonly reported adverse reactions in RA clinical trials were injection site reaction and infection. In clinical trials of all other adult indications, adverse reactions were similar to those reported in RA clinical trials. In general, the adverse reactions in pediatric patients were similar in frequency and type as those seen in adult patients. The types of infections reported in pediatric patients were generally mild and consistent with those commonly seen in the general pediatric population.

The use of ENBREL in patients receiving concurrent cyclophosphamide therapy is not recommended. The risk of serious infection may increase with concomitant use of abatacept therapy. Concurrent therapy with ENBREL and anakinra is not recommended. Hypoglycemia has been reported following initiation of ENBREL therapy in patients receiving medication for diabetes, necessitating a reduction in anti-diabetic medication in some of these patients.

Please see Prescribing Information  and Medication Guide at www.ENBREL.com.