Policy

The FDA agreed to review an application for Hadlima (adalimumab biosimilar) to be granted interchangeability; The European Union’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) gave a positive opinion for an ustekinumab biosimilar; the Biosimilars Forum expressed support for a Senate Finance Committee’s draft legislation promoting biosimilars.

Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, comments on a poll he conducted revealing that many are still hesitant to remove clinical efficacy study requirements for biosimilars in his latest column.

A survey explores the experiences of health care providers (HCP) in New Zealand throughout the transition process following a mandatory switch from the adalimumab originator (Humira) to a biosimilar in 2022.

Although biosimilars have already generated savings for Medicare Part B programs and beneficiaries, opportunities for substantial reductions in spending remain, according to a report from the HHS.

The legal and common uses of “interchangeability” continue to be conflated.

Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, offers hope for the end of interchangeability labels in the United States in his latest column.

Samsung Bioepis releases data for its denosumab biosimilar candidate; the Community Oncology Alliance (COA) forms the Drug Policy and Regulation Committee; the International Generic and Biosimilar Association (IGBA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) collaborate on a new initiative.

The FDA introduced a plan to improve clinical trials, including a provision to possibly eliminate clinical efficacy testing for biologic products, which evidence has suggested may not be necessary, according to Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD.

The FDA approved Amgen’s Wezlana (ustekinumab-auub) as the first biosimilar to reference Stelara (ustekinumab). The biosimilar was also approved with an interchangeability designation.

Panelists at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) Nexus meeting chronicled the current state of the US biosimilar market, including current policies impacting the market, recent regulatory decisions, and the developing arguments around requirements for clinical efficacy studies.

The FDA approved Celltrion’s Zymfentra (infliximab-dyyb), a novel drug that allows for subcutaneous administration of inflximab.

Stephen Hanauer, MD, professor of medicine, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, discusses why providers need to be wary when deciding whether patients with Crohn disease should switch from Humira (reference adalimumab) to an adalimumab biosimilar.

Alvotech received a complete response letter (CRL) for its ustekinumab biosimilar; Formycon’s Cimerli, a ranibizumab biosimilar, achieved 25% market share in the United States; and the FDA awarded a researach grant to the Biologics & Biosimilars Collective Intelligence Consortium (BBCIC).

Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, chronicles how drug master files (DMF) can be used in the biosimilar approval process and the role contract development and manufacturing organizations (CDMOs) can play in improving biosimilar accessibility.

Prince Edward Island became the eleventh jurisdiction in Canada to implement a biosimilar transition policy, in which patients who are currently taking select reference agents will transition to biosimilar versions.

An international comparative analysis found that the level of biosimilar market sustainability differs between countries, largely due to variances in biosimilar policies and years of experience managing a biosimilar market.

No safety or immunogenicity differences were found in patients who switched to a biosimilar and those who continued on a reference biologic or biosimilar.

Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) launches an unbranded version of its adalimumab biosimilar; Alvotech and Kashiv Biosciences partner for an omalizumab biosimilar candidate; the FDA issues a complete response letter (CRL) for Biocon’s insulin aspart biosimilar.

Pfizer’s Abrilada (adalimumab-afzb) became the second biosimilar referencing Humira (adalimumab) to receive an interchangeable designation. The new label is intended to expand patient access to biosimilars.

Tofidence, a tocilizumab biosimilar developed by Biogen, will be used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis, and systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, summarized the citizen petitions he's filed to the FDA as well as changes he believes are needed to propel the biosimilar industry into the future, including calling on biosimilar manufacturers to help.

Nuances in classification for insulin biosimilars can lead to frequent areas of confusion, according to 2 pharmacists.

Drug maker payments to ophthalmologists were associated with the choice of higher-cost therapies for age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) that could increase Medicare costs, but biosimilars could help.

The House Committee members examined pricing tactics by PBMs and how they are harming patients across the country.

In the final part of a 3-part series, Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, gives his take on the FDA's recent workshop dedicated to streamlining biosimilar development and his opinion on what the industry can learn from the webinar presenters.

Growing use of innovator biologics, including those with biosimilar competition, has led to increased Medicare Part B drug expenditures, with the trend unlikely to stop.

An FDA workshop featuring regulators from around the world provided the regulatory perspective on how each government determines whether a biosimilar is clinically equivalent to their reference product, highlighting the science behind their development guidelines.

Fran Gregory, PharmD, MBA, vice president of emerging therapies at Cardinal Health, explains the value of interchangeability in the adalimumab space and predicts whether interchangeable biosimilars will become leaders in adoption.

Perhaps the most significant development in the pharmaceutical industry in decades, crops of biosimilars are being approved and are ready for distribution. What lies next, in terms of legislation and the impact on pharmacists, remains to be seen.

Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, reacts to CMS' list of the first 10 drugs chosen for price negotiation under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including 3 biologics with no biosimilar competition.