Practice

A real-world study of the biosimilar infliximab-dyyb (CT-P13; Inflectra) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) reported the majority of patients who initiated CT-P13 switched from the reference product (Remicade) or another biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug.

Researchers surveyed clinicians from 63 countries and found that adalimumab and infliximab biosimilars, primarily chosen for their lower cost, are widely available and have improved access to biologic treatment in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Jeffrey Casberg discusses key upcoming biosimilars and specialty drugs, the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act on drug pricing, and the evolving role of pharmacy benefit managers in the market.

Delayed biosimilar uptake in the US is driven by payer, provider, and patient barriers, but targeted interventions can help boost utilization and savings.

An analysis of subcutaneous biosimilar and originator tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors for rheumatic diseases found no significant differences in survival or discontinuation rates due to inefficacy or adverse events, with biosimilars showing lower overall discontinuation rates and higher retention rates.

Artificial intelligence (AI) technologies can support global health systems in integrating biosimilars into care models, reducing health care costs, enhancing treatment decision-making strategies, and narrowing the gap between high-income and low- and middle-income countries.

Manitoba’s new policy means that all 10 Canadian provinces now have an initiative to boost biosimilar adoption and savings by transitioning patients on reference agents to biosimilar options.

The introduction of biosimilar insulins, particularly insulin glargine, is crucial for improving insulin accessibility and adherence among patients with diabetes in India, according to a study evaluating expert opinions from Indian doctors.

Projected savings from biosimilar natalizumab were $452,611 over 3 years, driven by decreased drug acquisition costs and a utilization shift from reference to biosimilar natalizumab.

Although biosimilars reduce drug purchasing costs for hospitals, it’s unclear whether those savings might be offset by increased health resource utilization following a non-medical switching initiative.

Economic evaluations of biosimilar disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) suggest cost-effectiveness for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who did not respond well to methotrexate, potentially improving patient outcomes and health care affordability.

A Brazilian real-world study found trastuzumab-dkst to be an effective and safe adjuvant therapy for HER2-positive (HER2+) breast cancer, with clinical outcomes comparable to reference trastuzumab.

Two posters presented at the European Hematology Association’s annual meeting (EHA 2024) evaluated how rituximab biosimilars impact quality of life and infusion-related reactions in patients with lymphatic cancers.

Lack of knowledge and confidence in biosimilars continues despite growing education efforts, impacting provider willingness to prescribe biosimilar medicines and patient perceptions about their treatment and switching to a biosimilar.

Authors of a commentary piece propose solutions to sustainability issues for biosimilar markets and shed light on common sustainability challenges global markets face.

The broader adoption of biosimilar drugs has the potential to significantly reduce cancer care costs and improve patient access to more affordable treatments, benefiting both patients and payers. However, a recent review highlights that biosimilar uptake has been hindered by various economic, practical, attitudinal, and psychological factors.

Part 2 of this series dives into the health care system, revealing financial hurdles that limit biosimilar access and ultimately hinder health equity.

British Columbia's 2019 Biosimilars Initiative, which transitioned over 40,000 patients from costly reference biologics to biosimilars, saved around $732 million in 5 years, maintained comparable health outcomes, and reinvested the savings to improve the province's public payer program.

Posters from the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting showcased safety and efficacy data for a trastuzumab biosimilar and an ado-trastuzumab biosimilar in HER2-positive (HER2+) cancers.

Researchers reviewed real-world evidence on the safety and effectiveness of switching from tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor originators to biosimilars in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), prompted by mandatory switching policies in most Canadian provinces.

A literature review revealed new data demonstrating that biosimilar-to-biosimilar switching is safe and effective.

In the IQVIA Use of Medicines in the US 2024 report, biosimilars were found to be large contributors to lower drug costs and drivers of market growth; however, these products account for about 23% of the overall biologics market, showing wide variation in uptake across molecules.

A real-world study in Spain on patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) found no meaningful changes in clinical or biochemical markers or differences in effectiveness between the adalimumab originator and the biosimilar MSB11022 (Idacio; Fresenius Kabi) in adalimumab-naïve patients.

The European Union gained a new ustekinumab biosimilar; Alvotech released positive results from a clinical trial evaluating a golimumab biosimilar and the reference products (Simponi and Simponi Aria), and Evernorth announced that it is set to cover an adalimumab biosimilar at zero cost to patients.

Two posters from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) annual meeting explore how an interchangeable insulin glargine biosimilar plays into Medicaid budgets and the top factors driving access to biosimilars.

A review article, intended to act as a guide for clinicians, summarizes the available infliximab and adalimumab biosimilars for treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as well as others that are coming down the pipeline.

The global biosimilar market is projected to surge from $25.1 billion in 2022 to approximately $1.3 trillion by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate of 17.6%, driven mainly by the increasing prevalence of cancer and the cost-effectiveness of biosimilars, as outlined in a report by Towards Healthcare.

Despite more biosimilars entering the market and generating significant savings for payers and health care systems, these savings are not resulting in lower out-of-pocket (OOP) costs for patients, according to a recent study.

A real-world study surveying physicians and patients on adalimumab biosimilar ABP 501 (Amgevita) in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) found both patients initiating ABP 501 and those who had switched from the reference product had higher satisfaction levels.

Posters from Association of Cancer Care Centers 50th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS) and the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) highlight the benefits of incorporating biosimilars into electronic medical records and the biggest barriers for home injection of biologics.