In a presentation titled “Biosimilar Medicine: Changing Landscape in Health Care,” given on Monday at the 2017 American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, J. Eugene Huffstutter MD, FACP, FACR, shared practical considerations for using biosimilars in the rheumatology clinic.
In a presentation titled “Biosimilar Medicine: Changing Landscape in Health Care,” given on Monday at the 2017 American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego, California, J. Eugene Huffstutter MD, FACP, FACR, shared practical considerations for using biosimilars in the rheumatology clinic.
Among the potential issues that a physician could encounter with a biosimilar in practice are the following:
However, Huffstutter pointed out that there are other risks associated with a transition to biosimilars, some of which are not discussed as often as the above:
Furthermore, rheumatologists have a steep learning curve ahead. Huffstutter called on rheumatologists to familiarize themselves with state laws governing substitution of interchangeable biosimilars, availability of patient support programs, insurance contracts, formulary status, and—critically—patient acceptance of biosimilars. Patients, he says, have “been left out of this whole discussion.”
But before biosimilars will achieve widespread adoption in rheumatology, the issue of cost must be addressed. Huffstutter shared many rheumatologists’ frustrations about the high cost of biologics, and was bemused by CMS’ wholesale acquisition cost that determines reimbursement for biosimilars. “[I] want CMS to tell us where they get these prices from so I can buy it from there, because it’s certainly a lot cheaper than what I can buy it for,” he said.
Instead of putting the onus for high costs on the drug manufacturers—“not only do we throw [manufacturers] under the bus, we back up and run over them again”—Huffstutter blamed PBMs, who profit from rebates provided by manufacturers in exchange for formulary placement, for potentially blocking biosimilar access. “That’s where the money is…[a manufacturer's profit] is chump change compared to what is going on [with PBMs],” said Huffstutter. “I don’t care how good a rheumatologist you are: if you can’t get a drug to a patient, you’re wasting your time.”
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