Cate Lockhart: Is There Hope for a Robust Biosimilar Industry in the United States?

The Center for Biosimilars® recently spoke with Cate Lockhart, PharmD, PhD, executive director of the Biologics and Biosimilar Collective Intelligence Consortium, about the infliximab market, the pipeline of biosimilar products on the horizon, and the need for more real world evidence.

In the interview, Lockhart talks about how infliximab biosimilars have seen tepid acceptance in the United States compared with other countries, achieving only 7% uptake despite being some of the first biosimilars on the US market.

Although she said it’s unclear what would change the game for infliximab biosimilars, she noted that other biosimilars have achieved higher usage, suggesting that more broader uptake overall will become the standard trend.

She also discussed the biosimilars pipeline that currently has more than 70 potential products. Lockhart said slow uptake for infliximab biosimilars might have discouraged some companies from pursuing biosimilars, but seeing how robust the pipeline currently is makes her hopeful that more candidates will receive FDA approval, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wind down in the United States.

Lockhart also explained how more real world evidence on use of biosimilars could help alleviate persuade more physicians to prescribe these products. She added that policy guidances can be ambiguous and that real world evidence can play an important role in informing decision makers.

Additionally, Lockhart said that real world evidence could provide payers an alternative evidence source to traditional clinical trials, enabling them to feel more comfortable with biosimilars and better inform their formulary decision making.