A recent article lays out some of the hurdles the biosimilars industry faces, from the perspectives of oncology providers.
By 2023, as many as 20 biologic originator drugs could lose their patent protection, stimulating the development of more biosimilars. But many clinicians in the United States are still on the fence about incorporating biosimilars into their practice. A recent OncLive® article discusses the emergence of biosimilars as a class of drugs from the viewpoints of clinicians on the front lines in oncology.
The medical science underlying biosimilars is solid, and it’s a matter of convincing physicians that these agents are as safe and effective as the reference products they’re based on, according to the article, which notes that large proportions of providers still have difficulty defining biosimilars successfully or understanding the differences between biosimilars and generics. Patients also may not know enough about biosimilars to accept them if recommended by providers.
The provider-patient hurdle is not the only one. Biosimilar developers must overcome patent obstructions that may delay the market entry of these drugs by many years. In the case of etanercept (Enbrel), an Amgen/Pfizer product, biosimilar developers have seen court defeats to their patent objections that may push back the first biosimilar arrival for this drug until 2029.
With the recent approval of an adalimumab (Hulio) biosimilar, a drug developed by Fujifilm Kyowa Kirin Biologics and commercialized in multiple countries by Mylan, there have been 2 biosimilars approved so far this year.
Currently, there are 28 US-approved biosimilars, 17 of which have been launched on this market.
Cencora Analysis Shows Differences in Payer Coverage Between G-CSF Biosimilars
May 2nd 2024Data from a Cencora study showed some misalignment in payer coverage of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) biosimilars, highlighting that while filgrastim biosimilars are often favored over the originator, reference pegfilgrastim still dominates over its biosimilars.
A New Chapter: How 2023 Will Shape the US Biosimilar Space for 2024 and Beyond
December 31st 2023On this episode of Not So Different, Cencora's Brian Biehn and Corey Ford take a look back at major policy and regulatory advancements in 2023 and how these changes will alter the space going forward.
AON Saves Over $243 Million With High Biosimilar Adoption
April 22nd 2024Thanks to high biosimilar adoption rates within the community oncology setting, American Oncology Network (AON) saved upwards of $243 million between 2020 and 2023, according to a presentation at the Festival of Biologics USA conference in San Diego, California.
Study: More Biosimilar Competition Is Not Lowering Patient OOP Costs
March 29th 2024Despite 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.