Gastroenterology

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.

A real-world study using data from the French National Health Data System, found no significant differences in treatment persistence or safety between anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α biosimilars and reference products in all indications of these biologics.

The FDA has issued an update to its guidance on requiring switching study data for biosimilars to be granted interchangeability, citing new science that shows these studies aren’t needed to establish biosimilar safety.

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.

A real-world study of children and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) switched from the infliximab reference product to a biosimilar concluded effectiveness was maintained over 12 months based on stable remission rates and biochemical markers.

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.

Posters from Digestive Disease Week 2024 look at how super-responders and pregnant patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) react to treatment with subcutaneous infliximab and an infliximab biosimilar, respectively.

May proved to be a big month for biosimilar research, particularly in the gastroenterology space, where new data on infliximab and adalimumab products from conferences and journals alike demonstrated positive clinical results showcasing the safety of these products as well as switching to them.

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

Alvotech and Teva have launched Simlandi in the US; Xbrane Biopharma and STADA Arzneimitel partner with Valorum Biologics to bring a ranibizumab biosimilar to the US; Boehringer Ingelheim and Celltrion take steps to expand access to their respective adalimumab biosimilars.

Two posters from Digestive Disease Week found that switching patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) from Remicade to an infliximab biosimilar did not impact clinical outcomes, with one study focusing on switches in pediatric patients and the other focusing on patients undergoing multiple switches.

Posters from Digestive Disease Week (DDW) on the ongoing LIBERTY-CD trial assessing Zymfentra, a subcutaneous infliximab product, compared with intravenous infliximab treatment in Crohn disease show the safety and efficacy of the product, as well as the impact of body mass index (BMI) on clinical outcomes.

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.

Two posters from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s annual meeting provided hope that despite low uptake so far, adalimumab biosimilars can deliver on the promise of comparable safety and efficacy with the originator in multiple disease states, as well as cost savings.

In Canada, a study on patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) switching to infliximab or adalimumab biosimilars found no change in clinical remission or antidrug antibodies after 24 weeks, but 13% experienced the nocebo effect, leading to one-fifth discontinuing therapy.

A review article summarizes the product attributes of reference and biosimilar adalimumab products, such as formulation with or without citrate, delivery volume, and needle gauge, relevant to patients’ experience of injection-site pain.

The FDA approved a high-concentration, citrate-free version of Boehringer Ingelheim’s Cyltezo (adalimumab-adbm), making it the second high-concentration adalimumab biosimilar to have an interchangeability designation.

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.

A review article summarized the totality of evidence supporting the approval of the adalimumab biosimilar GP2017 (Hyrimoz; Sandoz) in the United States and Europe.

In a survey of patients with autoimmune arthritis who had been switched from reference adalimumab (Humira) to biosimilar adalimumab-atto (Amjevita; Amgen), most reported preferring the biosimilar and had no concerns about switching.

Julie Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum, showcases how the biosimilar industry is expected to develop throughout 2024, including major policy changes and hope for continued improvement in market share for adalimumab biosimilars.

Alvotech’s Selarsdi (ustekinumab-aekn), a biosimilar referencing Stelara (ustekinumab), gained FDA approval, making it the second ustekinumab biosimilar and second for the company to be given the green light for the American market.

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.

A report from the Biosimilars Council evaluating IQVIA data found that rebate schemes orchestrated by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are costing US patients and payers billions of dollars by suppressing biosimilar adoption.

After poor sales for its adalimumab biosimilar, Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) announces layoffs; Teva Pharmaceuticals and mAbxience partner on an oncology biosimilar; Samsung Bioepis begins a phase 3 trial for a biosimilar referencing Keytruda (pembrolizumab).

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 7 randomized controlled trials found no significant differences in efficacy and safety indicators between adalimumab biosimilars and the reference product (Humira) for treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis.

A review article described the totality of evidence supporting the approval of the adalimumab biosimilar AVT02 (Simlandi; Alvotech) for all approved indications of the reference product, Humira.

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.

Two posters presented at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) annual meeting examined the effects of switching from reference ustekinumab and adalimumab to biosimilar versions in patients with different types of psoriasis.