Practice

Reimbursement concerns and the uncertainty of how interchangeability will impact biosimilar adoption are hot-button issues in the biosimilar space, Cate Lockhart, PharmD, PhD, MS, explains in this interview.

Ivo Abraham, PhD, a professor with University of Arizona Health Sciences in the Department of Pharmacy Practice, outlines the current trajectory and savings potential for granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) biosimilars and Neulasta Onpro (pegfilgrastim).

Kirollos Hanna, PharmD, from the University of Minnesota Medical Center, explains how his practice has worked to inform patients and providers about biosimilars and improve their confidence in the utilization of biosimilars.

Kirollos Hanna, PharmD, from the University of Minnesota Medical Center, talks about the savings that biosimilars have brought to his practice and how he tackles patient and physician concerns over whether biosimilars work as well as reference products.

Sonia T. Oskouei, PharmD, BCMAS, DPLA, the vice president of Biosimilars at Cardinal Health, discussed the many ways that pharmacists and interchangeability designations can affect biosimilar utilization.

The findings support Alvotech's bid for interchangeable status for the high-concentration, citrate-free adalimumab biosimilar candidate.

Gary Lyman, MD, MPH, an oncologist and hematologist, discusses how biosimilar placement on formularies affects physicians' willingness to prescribe these agents.

Gary Lyman, MD, MPH, an oncologist and hematologist, discusses some of the issues holding physicians back from prescribing biosimilars and some ways to ensure provider confidence in biosimilars.

Health care systems need to consistently reevaluate whether the biosimilars they utilize are the most cost-effective, Neal Dave, PharmD, the executive director of pharmacy at Texas Oncology, explains.

A supply chain shortage of Avastin (bevacizumab) is prompting policies for use of bevacizumab biosimilars instead, which the American Academy of Ophthalmology says could lead to problems.

When it comes to exports, Celltrion Healthcare leads the way among Republic of Korea pharmaceuticals producers. The company's biosimilars are the leading exports.

After much anticipation, the FDA approves the first interchangeable biosimilar, which is hoped to bring down the high cost of insulin.

In part 1 of this interview, Cate Lockhart, executive director of the Biologics and Biosimilar Collective Intelligence Consortium, details some of her expectations for further growth of the US biosimilar market.

Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, a member of The Center for Biosimilars® Advisory Board, recounts a debate with a young clinician over the reliability of biosimilarity testing.

Kenneth Komorny, PharmD, BCPS, was a co-lead on development of National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) recommendations for biosimilar management. He explains some of the positions the NCCN has taken.

Sonia T. Oskouei, PharmD, BCMAS, DPLA, vice president of Biosimilars at Cardinal Health, discusses motivating factors that affect use of biosimilars in oncology.

Minnesota legislators introduce what could possibly become the first law to curtail payers' rights to determine which biologics patients have access to.

Investigators evaluated trial spending and reasons for biologics license application failures.

Anar Dossa, director of Pharmacy Services at Pacific Blue Cross, discusses the company's involvement with British Columbia's biosimilars switching program.

Biosimilars have come a long way, and their path has mirrored that of generics—fraught with obstacles. Still, a stronger embrace is needed from physicians and payers.

We sat down with Sarfaraz Niazi, PhD, an adjunct professor and biosimilar industry expert, to discuss the potential impact high-concentration adalimumab products could have on the US market.

Patient characteristics are predictive of whether a switch to a biosimilar is likely to be accepted, investigators found.

Physician specialty and practice setting each play a significant role in whether biosimilars are administered vs originators, according to a large, cross-sectional study.

A long-term observational study suggests a non-medical switch from infliximab to SB2 is “a feasible option” for patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).

The study was designed to elucidate incidence of hypertension and proteinuria in patients treated with bevacizumab reference vs biosimilar products.

Investigators looked at the first 9 months of use following the launch of the bevacizumab biosimilar Mvasi to gauge physician comfort with this agent across tumor types.

A need for clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of infliximab switching led the authors to pursue this investigation.

In part 2 of this year-end feature, we look at the most-read biosimilar stories of the second half of 2020.

The top stories in biosimilars for 2020 encompassed biosimilar approvals and launches, the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, and the FDA's challenge to stay on top of the rapidly changing health care landscape.

In the EU-5 group of countries, biosimilar awareness is poor, hindering uptake of these potentially cost-saving medicines, a white paper states.