Practice

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.

Samsung Bioepis hopes to gain regulatory approval for a denosumab biosimilar referencing Prolia. The trial will focus on women with postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Two studies of trastuzumab biosimilars have improved understanding of these medicines as monotherapy and in combination with other agents in metastatic breast cancer.

A high overall response rate of 93% was observed for patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura who received romiplostim biosimilar.

The wearable injector has a failure rate that adds hospitalization costs; therefore, biosimilar pegfilgrastim may hold cost advantages, investigators conclude.

Biosimilar suffixes were intended to help with pharmacovigilance, but they are not widely understood.

Minute differences between biosimilars and reference products are not considered “clinically meaningful,” but these differences are exploitable when it comes to addressing allergies related to originator products.

Pfizer aims to begin marketing Nyvepria in the European Union in the first quarter of 2021.

Bincy P. Abraham, MD, explains that even when payers allow coverage for biosimilars, providers may still be hesitant to use them.

Kathy Oubre, MS, chief operating officer at the Pontchartrain Cancer Center in Louisiana, discusses the value of biosimilars.

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) has joined with other provider groups in opposing a UnitedHealthcare (UHC) plan that could increase patient out-of-pocket costs.

A study of mandatory switching for patients with rheumatologic conditions led to savings without effect on safety or efficacy.