The Alliance for Patient Access Annual National Policy and Advocacy Summit on Biologics and Biosimilars

During the last panel at the Alliance for Patient Access 4th Annual National Policy and Advocacy Summit on Biologics and Biosimilars, panelists discussed some of the administration’s proposals, such as moving Medicare Part B drugs to Part D, a proposal to end protected drug classes in Medicare, and the International Price Index.

Two leaders of the Alliance for Patient Access discussed results of a survey and focus group about nonmedical switching of patients from one drug to another by payers and pharmacy benefit managers for reasons of cost.

The theme of the Alliance for Patient Access 4th Annual National Policy and Advocacy Summit on Biologics and Biosimilars meeting was all about value, and panelists from the Aimed Alliance and the Partnership to Advance Cardiovascular Health discussed how they used the concept of value in their discussions with payers.

At the 4th Annual Policy and Advocacy Summit on Biologics and Biosimilars of the Alliance for Patient Access, speakers discussed the fact that while numerous biosimilars have been approved, most have not reached the market in the United States.

In a panel during the National Policy and Advocacy Summit on Biologics and Biosimilars, held in Washington, DC, on April 17, rheumatologist Madelaine Feldman, MD; Wayne Winegarden, PhD, of the Pacific Research Institute; and rheumatologist Angus Worthing, MD, chair of the American College of Rheumatology’s Government Affairs Committee, discussed trends in healthcare payment models.

At the National Policy and Advocacy Summit on Biologics and Biosimilars, held in Washington, DC, on April 17, Earl “Buddy” Carter, Republican Congressman for Georgia’s first legislative district, highlighted his work to control the price of drugs for patients.

A panel of health experts discussed the pathway and speed of biosimilar development, as well as the barriers to major uptake of these drugs, during a discussion at the National Policy and Advocacy Summit on Biologics and Biosimilars, held in Washington, DC, on April 17.

Over time, the United States will see a dramatic increase in the number of biosimilar approvals based on the quantity of applications that the FDA is currently receiving, said Leah Christl, PhD, associate director for therapeutic biologics at the Office of New Drugs in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, at the National Policy and Advocacy Summit on Biologics and Biosimilars held in Washington, DC, on April 17.

During a panel session at the National Policy and Advocacy Summit on Biologics and Biosimilars, held in Washington, DC, on April 17, panelists discussed key barriers to accessing biologics and other innovative treatments, as well as how patient advocacy can be leveraged to chip away at those barriers.