`Q5138` Inj, wezlana, iv, 1 mg

Injection, ustekinumab-auub (wezlana), biosimilar, intravenous, 1 mg

Medicare coverage: Carrier judgment
Status: active (October 2026 file)

Medically Unlikely Edits (effective October 1, 2026)

Practitioner: max 520 units per day (clinical), rationale: Prescribing Information
Outpatient hospital: max 520 units per day (clinical), rationale: Prescribing Information

Medicare pricing for Q5138

Medicare Part B drug payment limit (ASP, October 2026)

Q5138 payment limit: $2.273 per 1 MG, effective October 1, 2026 through December 31, 2026, based on 2Q26 ASP data. Coinsurance 20%. Note: 8% of reference add-on applied.

NDCs that bill under Q5138 (CMS ASP NDC-HCPCS crosswalk, October 2026)

84612-0066-01 Wezlana, Optum Health Solutions Ireland Limited: 130 billing units per package (1 VIAL in 1 CARTON / 26 mL in 1 VIAL)

Physician Fee Schedule (CY 2026, RVU26D)

Status E: excluded from the PFS by regulation.

Payer policies and prior authorization for Q5138

75 of 75 payer prior-auth lists that name Q5138 require prior authorization or set conditions: Aetna, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (AZ Blue), Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan, CarePlus Health Plans, Cigna, HealthSpring, Humana, Molina Complete Care (Virginia), Molina Healthcare of California, Molina Healthcare of Idaho, Molina Healthcare of Illinois, Molina Healthcare of Michigan, Molina Healthcare of Mississippi, Molina Healthcare of Utah, Neighborhood Health Partnership, Oxford Health Plans, Passport by Molina Healthcare (Kentucky), and others.

Payer	Plan	State	Prior auth	Conditions	Since	Source
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield	Drugs under the medical benefit (not ASE/PSE or FEP, which use EBRx and Prime)	AR	prior auth required	Non-preferred product	Jul 1, 2024	Medical Benefit Pharmacy Prior Approval List
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (AZ Blue)	AZ Blue-administered Medicare Advantage (M2K)	AZ	prior auth required	Step therapy	Sep 1, 2026	AZ Blue Medicare Advantage Prior Authorization Requirements Code List (Effective 09/01/2026)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (AZ Blue)	Federal Employee Program (FEP)	AZ	prior auth required		Sep 1, 2026	Federal Employee Program (FEP) Prior Authorization Requirements Code List (Updated 09/01/2026)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (AZ Blue)	Standard PA code list (most commercial plans)	AZ	prior auth required	site of care: site-of-service review	Sep 1, 2026	AZ Blue Standard Prior Authorization Requirements Code List (09/01/2026)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (AZ Blue)	State of Arizona employee group (SYD, S3Z)	AZ	prior auth required	site of care: site-of-service review	Sep 1, 2026	State of Arizona Group Prior Authorization Requirements Code List (09/01/2026)
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona (AZ Blue)	Teamsters group (TYW)	AZ	prior auth required		Sep 1, 2026	Teamsters Group Prior Authorization Requirements Code List (Updated 09/01/2026)
Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan	Promise Health Plan Medi-Cal	CA	prior auth required		Sep 1, 2026	Medi-Cal Prior Authorization List
Aetna	Medicare Advantage	All	prior auth required	Step therapy applies	Aug 25, 2026	Aetna Medicare Part B drug list (partbname.xml)
Aetna	Medicare Advantage	All	prior auth required		Aug 25, 2026	Aetna Medicare Part B drug list (partbname.xml)
Aetna	Medicare Advantage	All	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Participating provider precertification list for Aetna®
Aetna	Commercial	All	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Participating provider precertification list for Aetna®
Cigna	ACA/IFP	All	prior auth required		Jul 1, 2024	Master Precertification List (For Health Care Providers)
Cigna	Basic Standard	All	prior auth required		Jul 1, 2024	Master Precertification List (For Health Care Providers)
Cigna	Complete/PHS+/Preferred	All	prior auth required		Jul 1, 2024	Master Precertification List (For Health Care Providers)
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois	Blue Cross Community MMAI (Medicare-Medicaid Alignment Initiative)	IL	prior auth required	eviCore-managed	Jul 1, 2025	Procedure Code List, Effective 1/1/2025
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas	Texas PA exemption (gold card), outpatient, fully insured	TX	prior auth required	Gold-card exemption available	Jan 1, 2025	BCBSTX Outpatient Prior Authorization Exemption Clinical Guidelines (max units, PA exempt date range)
HealthSpring	Medicare Advantage	All	prior auth required		Jan 1, 2025	2026 Q4 Prior Authorization List
CarePlus Health Plans	CarePlus Health Plans	FL	prior auth required	Step therapy	Jan 1, 2027	Medicare Advantage and Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans Prior Authorization and Notification List We have updated our CarePlus Health Plans Prior Authorization and Notification List for CarePlus Medi
Humana	Humana D-SNP (FL)	FL	prior auth required	Step therapy	Jul 1, 2026	H1036-280 Humana Fully Integrated Florida prior authorization and notification list
Humana	Humana D-SNP (IL)	IL	prior auth required	Step therapy	Jan 1, 2027	Humana Dual Fully Integrated Illinois prior authorization and notification list
Humana	Humana D-SNP (IN)	IN	prior auth required	Step therapy	Jan 1, 2027	Humana PathWays Dual Care (HMO-POS D-SNP) prior authorization and notification list Important notes:
Humana	Humana D-SNP (MI)	MI	prior auth required	Step therapy	Oct 14, 2026	Humana Dual Integrated (health maintenance organization Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (HMO D- SNP) Michigan prior authorization and notification list (PAL)
Humana	Humana D-SNP (SC)	SC	prior auth required	Step therapy	Jul 1, 2026	Humana Dual Integrated South Carolina prior authorization and notification list
Humana	Humana D-SNP (VA)	VA	prior auth required	Step therapy	Jul 1, 2026	Prior authorization and notification list Humana Dual Fully Integrated H2875-001 (Virginia) Humana Dual Fully Integrated H2875-003 (Virginia)
Humana	Humana Healthy Horizons	KY	prior auth required		Oct 7, 2026	Humana Healthy Horizons in Kentucky Prior Authorization and Notification List
Humana	Humana Healthy Horizons	LA	prior auth required		Oct 14, 2026	Humana Healthy Horizons in Louisiana Prior Authorization and Notification List
Humana	Humana Healthy Horizons	OH	prior auth required		Oct 14, 2026	Humana Healthy Horizons in Ohio prior authorization and notification List
Humana	Humana Healthy Horizons	SC	prior auth required		Oct 14, 2026	Humana Healthy Horizons in South Carolina prior authorization and notification list
Humana	Humana Healthy Horizons	VA	prior auth required		Oct 14, 2026	Humana Healthy Horizons in Virginia professionally administered medication prior authorization and notification list
Humana	Humana MA and D-SNP	All	prior auth required	Step therapy	Jan 1, 2027	Medicare Advantage and Dual Eligible Special Needs Plans prior authorization and notification list Important notes:
Molina Complete Care (Virginia)	Medicaid	VA	prior auth required		Apr 1, 2025	Virginia Medicaid PA Code Matrix and Virginia code/benefit exceptions, effective Q2 2025
Molina Healthcare of California	Medicaid	CA	prior auth required		Apr 1, 2026	Medicaid Prior Auth (PA) Code Matrix (California), effective Q2 2026
Molina Healthcare of Idaho	Medicaid	ID	prior auth required		Jan 1, 2025	Idaho Medicaid Prior Auth (PA) Code Matrix and Idaho code/benefit exceptions, Q1 2025
Molina Healthcare of Illinois	Medicaid	IL	prior auth required		Jul 1, 2024	Molina Healthcare of Illinois Codification Grid Q3 2026
Molina Healthcare of Michigan	Medicaid	MI	prior auth required		Jul 1, 2026	Molina Healthcare of Michigan PA Matrix 2026-Q3
Molina Healthcare of Michigan	Medicare Advantage	MI	prior auth required		Jul 1, 2026	Molina Healthcare of Michigan PA Matrix 2026-Q3
Molina Healthcare of Mississippi	Medicaid	MS	prior auth required		Jan 1, 2025	Mississippi Medicaid Prior Auth (PA) Code Matrix and exceptions, effective Q1 2025
Molina Healthcare of Utah	Medicaid	UT	prior auth required		Jan 1, 2025	Utah Medicaid Prior Auth (PA) Code Matrix and Utah code/benefit exceptions, Q1 2025
Passport by Molina Healthcare (Kentucky)	Medicaid	KY	prior auth required		Jul 1, 2026	Kentucky Medicaid Prior Auth (PA) Code Matrix and Kentucky PA Code Exceptions, effective Q3 2026
Neighborhood Health Partnership	Neighborhood Health Partnership	FL	prior auth required		Sep 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for Neighborhood Health Partnership Effective September 1, 2026
Oxford Health Plans	Oxford Health Plans	All	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior Authorization Requirements for Oxford Effective October 1, 2026
Rocky Mountain Health Plans	Rocky Mountain Health Plans CHP+	CO	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Rocky Mountain Children’s Health Plan - prior authorization Effective October 1, 2026
Rocky Mountain Health Plans	Rocky Mountain Health Plans Prime / RAE	CO	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Rocky Mountain Health Plans PRIME Effective October 1, 2026
Surest	Surest health plans	All	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior Authorization Requirements for Surest Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare	Preferred Care Network and Preferred Care Partners of Florida	FL	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for Preferred Care Network and Preferred Care Partners of Florida Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare	UnitedHealthcare Commercial	All	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare commercial plans Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare	UnitedHealthcare Complete (Individual & Family plans)	All	prior auth required		Sep 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Complete Effective September 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare	UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange plans	All	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Individual Exchange plans Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare	UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage, Peoples Health and Dual Complete (D-SNP)	All	prior auth required	Excluded plans: for therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals: UHC Nursing Home Plan and UHC Care Advantage Plan (I-SNP)	Oct 1, 2026	UnitedHealthcare® Medicare Advantage/ Peoples Health Plans prior authorization requirements Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare	UnitedHealthcare Mid-Atlantic Health Plans	All	prior auth under conditions	If prior authorization requirements for the drug aren’t met, UnitedHealthcare will call the health care professional’s office within 3 days.	Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Mid-Atlantic Health Plans Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare	UnitedHealthcare of the River Valley	All	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare of the River Valley Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	AHCCCS Complete Care (ACC)	AZ	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for AHCCCS Complete Care (ACC) Medicaid effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	ALTCS Developmentally Disabled	AZ	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for Arizona Developmental Disabilities Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	ALTCS Long Term Care	AZ	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for Arizona Long Term Care Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Indiana Hoosier Care Connect	IN	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for Indiana Hoosier Care Connect Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Indiana PathWays for Aging (MLTSS)	IN	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for Indiana MLTSS Pathways Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Louisiana Medicaid (Healthy Louisiana)	LA	prior auth required		Jan 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Louisiana
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Maryland HealthChoice	MD	prior auth required		Sep 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Maryland Effective September 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Michigan Medicaid, Healthy Michigan Plan, CSHCS	MI	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Michigan, Healthy Michigan Plan and Children’s Special Health Care Services Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Nebraska Heritage Health	NE	prior auth required		Jul 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Nebraska Effective July 1, 2026 General Information This list contains prior authorization requirements for participating United
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	New Jersey FamilyCare	NJ	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of New Jersey Effective October 1, 2026 General Information This list contains prior authorization requirements for participating U
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	New Mexico Turquoise Care	NM	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of New Mexico Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Ohio Medicaid	OH	prior auth required		Nov 1, 2025	Prior authorization requirements for Ohio Medicaid Effective November 1, 2025 General Information This list contains prior authorization requirements for participating UnitedHealthcare Community Plan
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Pennsylvania CHIP	PA	prior auth required		Jul 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Pennsylvania CHIP Effective July 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Pennsylvania Medicaid	PA	prior auth required		Jul 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Pennsylvania Effective July 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Rhode Island Medicaid	RI	prior auth required		May 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for Rhode Island Medicaid Effective May 1, 2026 This list contains prior authorization requirements for participating UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Rhode Island h
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	TennCare	TN	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Tennessee Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Florida	FL	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHeathcare Community Plan of Florida Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Hawaii (QUEST Integration)	HI	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Hawaii Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kentucky	KY	prior auth required		Jul 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kentucky Effective July 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of New York	NY	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of New York Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Virginia Cardinal Care LTSS	VA	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for Virginia Cardinal Care LTSS Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Virginia Cardinal Care Medicaid	VA	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for Virginia Cardinal Care Effective October 1, 2026
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Washington Apple Health	WA	prior auth required		Oct 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for the UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Washington Effective April 1, 2023
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan	Wisconsin BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid SSI	WI	prior auth required		Sep 1, 2026	Prior authorization requirements for Wisconsin Medicaid Effective September 1, 2026 General Information This list contains prior authorization requirements for participating UnitedHealthcare Community

Payer coverage policies that name Q5138

Q5138 appears in 25 coverage policies from Aetna, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, Centene, Cigna, Health Care Service Corporation (BCBS IL, TX, OK, NM, MT), Premera Blue Cross, UnitedHealthcare, Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Payer	Policy	Role in policy	Reviewed	Document
Aetna	Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Blocking Agents (1091)	not covered	Apr 27, 2026	payer document
Aetna	Ustekinumab (0912)	covered if criteria are met	Jul 1, 2026	payer document
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi	Antirheumatic Biologicals (L.5.01.404)	covered if criteria are met		payer document
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi	Biosimilar Medications (S.5.01.593)	listed, no stance		payer document
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi	Biosimilar Medications (L.5.01.593)	listed, no stance		payer document
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi	Chronic Plaque Psoriasis (L.5.01.412)	covered if criteria are met		payer document
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi	Crohns Disease And Ulcerative Colitis (S.5.01.415)	listed, no stance		payer document
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi	Crohns Disease And Ulcerative Colitis (L.5.01.415)	listed, no stance		payer document
Centene	Biologic and Non-biologic DMARDs	covered if criteria are met	Aug 1, 2026	payer document
Centene	Biologic and Non-biologic DMARDs (CP.CPA.194)	covered if criteria are met	May 1, 2026	payer document
Centene	Ustekinumab (Stelara), Ustekinumab-aauz, (CP.PHAR.264)	covered if criteria are met	May 1, 2026	payer document
Cigna	Inflammatory Conditions – Ustekinumab Intravenous Products Prior Authorization Policy (IP0686)	covered if criteria are met	Jul 1, 2026	payer document
Health Care Service Corporation (BCBS IL, TX, OK, NM, MT)	Specialty Medication Administration Site of Care HCPCS Codes J0129, J0174, J0175, J0180, J0218, J0219, J0221, J0222, J0223, J0224,	listed, no stance	Jan 1, 2026	payer document
Health Care Service Corporation (BCBS IL, TX, OK, NM, MT)	Ustekinumab and Associated Biosimilars (RX501.114) HCPCS Codes C9399, J3357, J3358, J3490, J3590, Q5098, Q5099, Q5100, Q5137,	listed, no stance	Jul 1, 2026	payer document
Premera Blue Cross	Pharmacologic Treatment of Psoriatic Arthritis (5.01.645) Page \| 16 of 24 \| ∞	listed, no stance	Sep 8, 2026	payer document
Premera Blue Cross	Pharmacotherapy of Arthropathies (5.01.550) Page \| 35 of 66 \| ∞	listed, no stance	Sep 8, 2026	payer document
Premera Blue Cross	Pharmacotherapy of Inflammatory Bowel Disorder (5.01.563) Page \| 38 of 74 \| ∞	listed, no stance	Sep 8, 2026	payer document
UnitedHealthcare	Maximum Dosage and Frequency (2026D0034AU)	listed, no stance	Aug 1, 2026	payer document
UnitedHealthcare	Maximum Dosage and Frequency (CS2026D0034AV)	listed, no stance	Aug 1, 2026	payer document
UnitedHealthcare	Maximum Dosage and Frequency (for Ohio Only) (CSOH2026D0034.K)	listed, no stance	May 1, 2026	payer document
UnitedHealthcare	Medicare Part B Step Therapy Programs (IAP.001.30) Non-Preferred	listed, no stance	Jul 1, 2026	payer document
UnitedHealthcare	Provider Administered Drugs – Site of Care (2026D0121W)	listed, no stance	Sep 1, 2026	payer document
UnitedHealthcare	Ustekinumab (CS2026D0045AI)	listed, no stance	Sep 1, 2026	payer document
UnitedHealthcare	Ustekinumab (2026D0045AB)	listed, no stance	Jul 1, 2026	payer document
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield	Ustekinumab (05.01.28)	listed, no stance	Apr 1, 2026	payer document

Recent prior-auth changes

Oct 14, 2026: PA removed, Humana
Jan 1, 2026: PA added, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan
Jan 1, 2026: PA added, UnitedHealthcare
Jan 1, 2026: PA added, Molina Healthcare of Michigan
Jan 1, 2026: PA added, Molina Healthcare of Michigan
Jan 1, 2026: PA added, UnitedHealthcare
Nov 1, 2025: PA added, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan
Oct 1, 2025: PA removed, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan
Aug 1, 2025: PA added, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan
Jul 1, 2025: PA added, UnitedHealthcare

Medicaid fee-for-service

Prior authorization required or conditional in IN, MS, NE.

AZ: $11.06 (asc), effective Oct 1, 2026
KS: $2.27 (default), effective Oct 1, 2026
KY: $11.64 (asc), effective Jan 1, 2026
NE: $2.35 (injectables), effective Jul 1, 2026
OH: $4.54 (provider_administered_drugs), effective Jul 1, 2026
VT: $0.00 (outpatient_hospital_opps), effective Feb 1, 2026
WY: $1.97 (outpatient_hospital_apc, Ambulatory Surgical Centers), effective Apr 1, 2026

From payers' published prior-auth lists, coverage policies and state Medicaid fee schedules, updated Oct 16, 2026. The role is what the policy's own code table or text says about the code. Not a guarantee of coverage or payment; verify with the payer. CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association.

Q5138 Inj, wezlana, iv, 1 mg