Policy

Saskatchewan joined 5 provinces and 1 territory in implementing a biosimilar switching policy, allowing for reference products to be switched out for biosimilars and lowering drug costs for the province’s public health plan.

After months of pressure and calls for action, President Biden reauthorized the Biosimilar User Fee Act, which will allow the FDA to assess and collect fees for biosimilars for the next 5 years.

Amgen’s ninth edition of its Biosimilar Trends Report explores the evolution of the US biosimilar industry, including current trends, predictions for the next few years, advice for stakeholders going forward, and insight into how reimbursement and other policies could develop.

In this podcast episode, Kathy Oubre, MS, CEO of Pontchartrain Cancer Center, discussed the stresses that practices and clinics face when trying to manage biosimilars as well as some policy considerations that administrators should keep in mind as more biosimilars enter the market and are added to formularies.

Biosimilars Canada, a national association representing the Canadian biosimilar industry, held a press conference calling on Ontario, the province containing the nation’s capital, to institute a biosimilars switching policy.

Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, from Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute, explains how stakeholders may view the economic value of biosimilars differently based on their goals and his predictions for how biosimilar utilization will develop in the future.

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, there is a 5-year temporary increase in the add-on payment for qualifying biosimilars whose average sales price (ASP) is not more than the price of the reference product.

Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, explains the significance of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) declaring that biosimilars are interchangeable with their reference products and calls for the United States to do the same in the first installment of his new monthly column.

The final part of this 4-part series assesses what payers should know about the US introduction of adalimumab biosimilars coming in 2023 as well as policy consideration they can implement to reap the benefits of biosimilar savings.

In this episode of Not So Different, Julie Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum, discussed current policy initiatives that could help biosimilar adoption and how the Inflation Reduction Act is expected to influence the adalimumab market.

As more biosimilars are granted interchangeability status, 2 representatives from Samsung Bioepis stop misinformation in its tracks by clarifying that the designation will primarily impact pharmacy dispensing instead of prescription habits.

In a recent paper, Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, argues that getting rid of clinical efficacy testing for biosimilars could realign testing ethics with current guidelines, save companies money on development, and improve data sensitivity.

In advance of the World Health Organization (WHO) updating its guidelines for biosimilar development, a review article concluded that comparative clinical efficacy and safety studies may not be helpful for the evaluation of biosimilars.

Ivo Abraham, PhD, chief scientist of Matrix45 and a professor at the University of Arizona, describes the pharmacoeconomics of biosimilars and the savings potential for practices and payers if they prioritize greater biosimilar adoption.

In response to another opinion piece, Craig Burton, from the Association for Accessible Medicines, argued that the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 could prevent biosimilar competition, and lower drug prices as a result.

Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, a professor, entrepreneur, and biosimilar advocate, took aim at criticisms of the Inflation Reduction Act to 2022 that was passed in the Senate and critiques the argument that the bill should be considered a “price control” measure.

A systematic review found that patients who were switched from one biosimilar to another did not experience a change in clinical outcomes or an increase in adverse events.

While efforts to cap monthly insulin costs for Medicare patients at $35 survived a budget reconciliation bill in the Senate, Republicans blocked the measure from extending to the private sector.

On this podcast episode, The Center for Biosimilars spoke with Chronis Manolis from UPMC Health Plan to discuss how health care policies may shift as adalimumab biosimilars referencing Humira come to market in 2023, including how providers and payers can ensure equitable access.

A letter penned by Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, advocating for the banning of animal testing requirements for biosimilar development was published in Science, suggesting the journal has softened to the idea that animal testing may not be as useful as originally thought.

Ivo Abraham, PhD, chief scientist of Matrix45 and a member of The Center for Biosimilars® Advisory Board, explains the difference between biosimilar interchangeability and substitution and weighs in on whether switching studies are necessary.

During its annual conference in Sitges, Spain, Medicines for Europe recommended policy reforms for strengthening European health systems, including the use of off-patent medications like biosimilar and generic drugs.

Having patients meet with a clinical pharmacist before a rheumatologist could help improve biosimilar adoption rates and mitigate the nocebo effect in patients with chronic diseases, according to a recent study.

Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, a professor and biosimilar advocate, chronicles the current efforts to remove animal testing from application requirements for biosimilars under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA), including recent congressional action.

The European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended 2 biosimilars for approval: Celltrion Healthcare’s bevacizumab candidate and Formycon’s prospective ranibizumab product.

Not long after the company announced its new global initiative to promote access and increase adoption of biosimilars, Sandoz’ biologics license application for its high-concentration adalimumab biosimilar was accepted by the European Union’s regulatory agency for review.

The Biden administration must follow through on its promises, and Congressional leaders must do more to push through bipartisan biosimilar policies to encourage better adoption and lower drug costs, according to Julie M. Reed, the executive director of the Biosimilars Forum.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will require the 6 largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to submit records and answer questions regarding their business practices.

May brought a number of biosimilar policy updates of all types, including updates on British Columbia's switching program, a new bill that could revamp biosimilar user fee programs, and insight into how companies are shaping their environmental policies around biosimilars.

A study assessing the impact of mandatory switching policies in British Columbia on patients with rheumatic conditions receiving infliximab therapy found that switching to a biosimilar did not result in increased health service use.