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Carter Thorne, MD, Discusses Biosimilar Switching in Canada
We sat down with Carter Thorne, MD, FRCPC, former president of the Canadian Rheumatology Association and chief of the Division of Rheumatology and director of The Arthritis Program at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario, to discuss the current status of Canada’s comfort level with biosimilars and what he sees for the future of switching policies.
Welcome to Not So Different, a podcast from The Center for Biosimilars®. I’m your host, Assistant Editor Skylar Jeremias.
Although Canada has taken a different route than the United States in increasing uptake of biosimilars, the country faces plenty of opposition to these agents. This is due in part to policies to automatically switch patients from reference products to biosimilars in some provinces. The first of these policies became effective in British Columbia in 2019.
In addition to British Columbia, 4 other provinces are looking into developing their own switching policies. However, there is still much work to be done on educating physicians and patients on the safety and efficacy of biosimilars before more regulatory bodies feel comfortable enough to enact their own versions of these policies.
We sat down with Carter Thorne, MD, FRCPC, former president of the Canadian Rheumatology Association and chief of the Division of Rheumatology and director of The Arthritis Program at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario, to discuss the current status of Canada’s comfort level with biosimilars and what he sees for the future of switching policies.
To learn more about Canadian switching policies, click here.
Escaping the Void: All Things Biosimilars With Craig & G
May 4th 2025To close out the Festival of Biologics, Craig Burton and Giuseppe Randazzo from the Association for Accessible Medicines and the Biosimilars Council tackle the current biosimilar landscape and how the industry can emerge from the "biosimilar void."
British Columbia’s Biosimilar Policy Shows No Impact on Hospital Visits
May 28th 2025Despite a dramatic shift toward biosimilar use following British Columbia’s policy, researchers found no rise in hospital visits or complications, underscoring the real-world reliability of etanercept biosimilars in managing inflammatory arthritis.
How AI Can Help Address Cost-Related Nonadherence to Biologic, Biosimilar Treatment
March 9th 2025Despite saving billions, biosimilars still account for only a small share of the biologics market—what's standing in the way of broader adoption and how can artificial intelligence (AI) help change that?
What Stands in the Way of Biosimilar Use Across MENA Countries?
May 21st 2025Despite the clear promise of cost savings and expanded access, the path to integrating generics and biosimilars across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is tangled in a web of distrust, inconsistent policies, and deep-rooted cultural preferences for branded drugs.
