How to Help Your Patients Save Money on Stelara: A Provider's Guide to Savings Programs

For providers prescribing ustekinumab, cost is often the reason patients delay or abandon treatment. Brand-name Stelara has a list price over $21,000 per dose, and even with insurance, prior authorization delays and coverage gaps can create significant financial burden for patients. In 2026, the landscape has shifted substantially — eight biosimilars have launched at dramatically lower prices, and manufacturers of both brand and biosimilar products have robust savings programs.

This guide gives you a comprehensive, provider-focused view of every cost-reduction strategy available for ustekinumab in 2026 — organized by insurance situation.

The Biosimilar Opportunity: The Biggest Cost Reduction Available

The most impactful cost reduction strategy for commercially insured patients in 2026 is prescribing the plan's preferred ustekinumab biosimilar. Here's the financial reality:

Brand Stelara list price: ~$21,000+ per 45 mg dose

Yesintek (ustekinumab-kfce) WAC: ~$3,000 (~90% lower than Stelara)

Selarsdi (ustekinumab-aekn) WAC: ~85% below Stelara list price

Pyzchiva (ustekinumab-ttwe) WAC: ~80% below Stelara list price

For commercially insured patients, the preferred biosimilar on their plan typically comes with a $0 copay card from the manufacturer, making the patient's effective out-of-pocket cost $0 per dose. This is the most direct path to zero cost for your patient.

For Patients with Commercial Insurance: Complete Savings Toolkit

Step 1 — Identify the preferred product:

Verify which ustekinumab product is on the patient's formulary (brand Stelara or a specific biosimilar)

Confirm which specialty pharmacy is in-network for that product

Step 2 — Enroll in manufacturer savings program:

Brand Stelara — Janssen CarePath (StelarawithMe): Patient may pay as little as $5/dose. No income requirement. Phone: 877-227-3728. Website: MyJanssenCarePath.com. Not valid for government-funded insurance.

Wezlana — Amgen: $0 copay program. Available at amgensupportplus.com or through Optum Specialty Pharmacy enrollment.

Selarsdi — Teva: $0 copay card; eligible patients may receive medication at no cost. Check tevapharmacy.com.

Pyzchiva — Sandoz: $0 copay program through Sandoz One Source support program.

Yesintek — Biocon Biologics: $0 copay card. Biocon has indicated strong payer engagement and formulary placement.

Otulfi, Imuldosa, Steqeyma, Starjemza: All offer $0 copay programs for commercially insured patients — visit each manufacturer's patient support page.

For Patients with Medicare

Medicare patients face different challenges. Manufacturer copay cards are not valid for Medicare patients. However:

IRA Medicare Negotiated Price (2026): Brand Stelara qualifies for a 66% reduction from its 2023 list price under Medicare Part D as one of the first 10 drugs selected for IRA price negotiation. However, most Part D plans have shifted to preferring biosimilars, which are priced even lower.

Medicare Extra Help (Low-Income Subsidy): Patients who qualify for Extra Help pay minimal copays for Part D drugs. Help patients apply at SSA.gov/extrahelp.

Janssen Patient Assistance Program: For qualifying Medicare patients who still cannot afford Stelara, the PAP may provide medication at no cost. Contact Janssen CarePath for eligibility details.

Medicare Part B vs. Part D: IV Stelara administered in an infusion center is typically covered under Medicare Part B (physician-administered drug benefit). Subcutaneous Stelara is usually Part D. Part B coverage often has lower cost-sharing for infused biologics.

For Uninsured Patients

For patients without insurance coverage:

Janssen Patient Assistance Program: May provide brand Stelara at no cost for qualifying patients. Contact JanssenCarePath.com.

Biosimilar patient assistance programs: Most biosimilar manufacturers offer assistance for uninsured/underinsured patients. Selarsdi (Teva) specifically has noted that eligible patients may receive medication at no cost.

RxOutreach, NeedyMeds, Partnership for Prescription Assistance: Broader patient assistance program databases that may identify additional resources.

Practice Tips: Building Savings Programs into Your Workflow

Enroll patients in the manufacturer's savings program at the same time you initiate the PA — not after approval. This way, the copay card is ready when the prescription ships.

Designate a staff member (PA coordinator or medical assistant) to manage biosimilar formulary tracking — knowing which biosimilar each major PBM prefers saves time at prescribing.

Use the Janssen CarePath hub service to route prescriptions to the correct specialty pharmacy automatically — this reduces routing errors that cause delays and additional cost.

Proactively identify patients whose plan is changing at the end of the year — formulary changes effective January 1 can cause access disruptions if prescriptions aren't updated before the new year.

When patients need help locating which specialty pharmacy can fill their prescription, medfinder for providers can help by contacting pharmacies on the patient's behalf. Refer patients to medfinder.com to get started.

See also: How to Help Your Patients Find Stelara in Stock: A Provider's Guide