Andre Harvin, PharmD, executive director of pharmacy and oncology services at Cone Health, expressed staunch belief that biosimilars referencing Neulasta Onpro, the on-body injector version of reference pegfilgrastim, are one of the most exciting things coming to the supportive cancer care space.
The prospect for on-body pegfilgrastim biosimilars is one of the most exciting things coming down the pipeline in the supportive cancer space, said Andre Harvin, PharmD, executive director of pharmacy and oncology services at Cone Health.
Transcript
What are some strategies that clinics and pharmacists can implement to increase biosimilar uptake and realize cost savings?
Harvin: There are a lot of strategies that clinics and hospitals can utilize for biosimilar uptake. Probably the most important thing is to engage your pharmacy team. As pharmacists, we are your drug experts. We're here for you, we're in your corner, and we really understand the benefits that biosimilars have for not only your clinic, but also your patients as well.
One of the most important things is to start with education. Make sure that everyone on the team understands what a biosimilar is and what it's not. The great thing about them is that the FDA has so many great resources that really lays it out. This is the difference between that and maybe a generic. Are there any issues with things like interchangeability and how you can go about operating those? So, there's a lot of resources there, and there's a ton of publications that have been brought out in the last year that talk about successful programs. And so luckily, you don't have to go at it alone. You just have to make sure that you engage your pharmacy team and really focus on the educational aspect.
Most importantly, you're going to realize a ton of cost savings. That's exactly what biosimilars were brought to the market to do. They were brought in to bend the curve down in terms of our spend in overall oncology care. And the most important thing is that this helps patients and their access to really critical medications. And so, if you're not using biosimilars, I think that's a bigger question of how to best implement them.
How to do you feel about the prospect of more supportive care biosimilars coming to the US market, especially as we move closer to having biosimilar competitors for Neulasta Onpro?
Harvin: To me, this is one of the most exciting things when I think about the additional competitors that are coming to the market in biosimilar categories, especially when we think about the Onpro device that's been just so dominant in the market for so many years.
This is a patient access issue, right? Some patients don't have that opportunity or it's difficult for them to come back to the clinic multiple days in a row. And that on-body [device], unfortunately, just because of the patents surrounding it, has been able to be dominant in the market and continuously get more and more expensive.
So now that we have new competitors that are coming in the market that are going to have an equivalent device so that patients can receive their Neulasta [pegfilgrastim] on time, safely, without having to return to the clinic is really one of the most exciting prospects I think for the future of oncology care.
We know that when biosimilars come into the market, regardless of the product, they start to drive prices down, and they drive [them] down quickly and significantly. And this is exactly what we need to support as providers, as clinicians, as supportive care services. We need to find ways to make cancer care cheaper, and I can't think of a better opportunity than to have a biosimilar for the on-body [device]. It's going to be a game changer and I'm really excited for it.
Coherus Biosciences Cites Biosimilars as Main Drivers of 2023 Revenue Growth
March 14th 2024In its earnings report for the fourth quarter and full year of 2023, Coherus Biosciences detailed its rising revenue growth, which it partly attributed to increased sales for its pegfilgrastim and ranibizumab biosimilars.
Decoding the Patent Puzzle: Navigating the Legal Landscape of Biosimilars
March 17th 2024On this episode of Not So Different, Ha Kung Wong, JD, an intellectual patent attorney partner at Venable LLP, details the confusing landscape that is the US patent system and how it can be improved to help companies overcome barriers to biosimilar competition.
Filgrastim Biosimilars in Europe: 15 Years of Real-World Evidence for Zarxio
March 13th 2024A review looking back at the last 15 years of experience with the first filgrastim biosimilar (Zarxio) provides a detailed overview on how filgrastim biosimilars came to be and the evidence behind why oncologists have come to accept them as standard practice.
Exploring the Biosimilar Horizon: Julie Reed's Predictions for 2024
February 18th 2024On this episode of Not So Different, Julie Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum, returns to discuss her predictions for the biosimilar industry for 2024 and beyond as well as the impact that the Forum's 4 new members will have on the organization's mission.
The Role of Biosimilars: Advancing Access, Financial Health, and System Sustainability
March 11th 2024Kashyap Patel, MD, CEO of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care, a member of the Community Oncology Alliance, and member of The Center for Biosimilars® Advisory Board, glances back at the development of the biosimilar industry and the last 5 years of progress.
Bevacizumab Biosimilars Offer Promise for CRC Treatment, Wound Healing, and Cost Savings
February 28th 2024A review emphasizes that bevacizumab biosimilars demonstrate comparable efficacy to the reference product (Avastin) in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) by tackling wound healing concerns in anorectal medicine.