Skylar Jeremias

Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest Canadian province to implement a biosimilar switching policy, following in the footsteps of Ontario and 7 other jurisdictions.

In the wake of adalimumab biosimilars hitting the US market, Sophia Z. Humphreys, PharmD, MHA, BCBBS, of Sutter Health, hyped up the current biosimilar market trends and the other products coming down the pipeline during her talk at the Festival of Biologics.

At the Festival of Biologics, Hillel Cohen, the executive director of scientific affairs at Sandoz, shared the current body of literature on biosimilar-to-biosimilar switching, saying that although there isn’t much published data, the vast real-world experience demonstrates the safety of this type of medication switch.

At the Festival of Biologics, Juliana (Julie) Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum, warned that without changes to encourage biosimilar uptake, companies will begin to ask the big question: Are biosimilars worth investing in?

At the American Academy of Dermatology annual meeting, Samsung Bioepis shared positive results from a phase 1 study comparing its ustekinumab biosimilars (SB17) with the reference product (Stelara).

On this episode of Not So Different, Mark Guyot, senior director of unity provider engagement at McKesson, gives an overview of McKesson’s real-world analysis of community oncology practices and their use of biosimilars and offers advice on overcoming adoption barriers and expanding education efforts.

In an article published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, researchers made recommendations to improve the biosimilar regulatory system and refine biosimilar guidelines in China.

In a report from CVS Health, interchangeability will not be a primary factor in driving the adoption of adalimumab biosimilars referencing Humira, contradicting predictions from other sources that believe the designation will impact prescribing habits.

Better familiarity with biosimilars is enabling government agencies to reevaluate their approval requirements and encouraging smaller manufacturers to invest in biosimilar development, said Michael Kleinrock, lead research director for the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science.

The FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) accepted applications for a trastuzumab biosimilar and an ustekinumab biosimilar, respectively, and Altos Biologics completed patient enrollment for a phase 3 trial assessing an aflibercept biosimilar.

A white paper touting biosimilar successes in the United States reasoned that increased market competition will help improve utilization rates, generate substantial savings, and encourage payers to cover biosimilars.

The FDA approved the prefilled autoinjector version of Coherus Biosciences’ pegfilgrastim biosimilar (Udenyca), which will allow for patients at risk of febrile neutropenia to administer a full dose of pegfilgrastim at home.

At the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation congress, Celltrion Healthcare shared positive safety and efficacy data on maintenance therapy including its infliximab biobetter allowing for subcutaneous administration, Remsima SC.

On this episode of Not So Different, we chronicle the latest gastroenterology news from February, including several updates on adalimumab and infliximab biosimilars and industry analyses on the utilization of these drugs and patient confidence in gastroenterologists’ recommendations.

As Eli Lilly and Company announces that it will slash prices for its insulin products and cap out-of-pocket costs for insulin, the company shared that it will launch its interchangeable insulin biosimilar, Rezvoglar, at a 78% discount to the originator (Lantus).

As a new wave of biosimilars to treat inflammatory bowel disease— an umbrella term for Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis—enter the US market, a lot of clinical and policy news regarding adalimumab and infliximab biosimilars emerged throughout the month of February.

Viatris’ earnings report for the full year of 2022 showed $1.95 billion of cash proceeds, which was largely driven by the sale of its biosimilar portfolio to Biocon Biologics.

On this episode of Not So Different, Vizient’s Carina Dolan, PharmD, MS, BCOP, expounds on some of the results from Vizient’s recent edition of its Pharmacy Market Outlook Report, including how inflation could influence biosimilar utilization.

In Cardinal Health’s 2023 Biosimilars Report, more than 60% of surveyed providers said they would only want to prescribe adalimumab biosimilars with interchangeability designations, suggesting the label may have a greater impact on uptake than originally expected.

Fresenius Kabi announced a global partnership with Formycon for an ustekinumab biosimilar; Similis Bio partners with Novel351K to co-develop 3 biosimilars; and Celltrion Healthcare launched its bevacizumab biosimilar in Japan.

Jacqueline Corrigan-Curay, MD, JD, principal deputy center director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, gave a keynote presentation at Access 2023 on how the Biosimilar User Fee Act and the Generic Drug User Fee Act have developed over the last year.

Panelists at the annual meeting of the International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA) offered insight into the current state of the global biosimilar and generic markets and why government agencies need to leverage these medicines to address challenges in the pharmaceutical space.

COVID-19 allowed governments to critically examine the biopharma space to increase access to vaccines, but there's still a way to go, according to Monique Mansoura, PhD, MBA, executive director of global health security and biotechnology at the MITRE Corporation, at the International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association’s annual meeting.

Fresenius Kabi announced the US launch of its pegfilgrastim biosimilar Stimufend (pegfilgrastim-fpgk), making it the fifth biosimilar referencing Neulasta to enter the market.

Two presentations and a panel discussion at the annual meeting of the Association for Accessible Medicines (Access 2023) went over the current state of biosimilar uptake and the factors that help determine whether a biosimilar will experience good adoption rates.

At the annual meeting of the Association for Accessible Medicines (Access 2023), Shark Tank’s Mark Cuban explained his dedication to and the inner workings of his online pharmacy that provides generic drugs to patients for significantly lower prices than traditional pharmacies.

Biocon Biologics and its partner Viatris received a complete response letter (CRL) for their biosimilar referencing Avastin (bevacizumab), the second CRL for the companies in 2023. The news comes as Biocon publishes increased revenues for biosimilars and generics.

Adalimumab and ustekinumab biosimilars aren't the only factors that will drive biosimilar adoption and savings through 2023, according to Michael Kleinrock, lead research director for the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science.

Sonia T. Oskouei, PharmD, vice president of biosimilars and specialty at Sandoz, foreshadows how the US market introduction of adalimumab biosimilars could influence future biosimilar entrances and discusses why educational efforts need to be tailored to different specialties and stakeholders.

IQVIA’s Biosimilars in the United States 2023-2027 report found that while the US biologics market has grown 12.5% annually over the last 5 years, spending on biosimilars is growing and is expected to reach $129 billion by 2027.