Infographic: Biosimilars in Oncology

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease who underwent a switch from reference infliximab to a biosimilar and then back to the originator were more likely to discontinue their treatment than patients who underwent a single switch from the originator to a biosimilar.

On this episode of Not So Different, Tasmina Hydery and Brian Biehn from AmerisourceBergen discussed results from a recent survey, that were also presented at Asembia 2023, diving into the payer perspective on biosimilars and current pricing trends across the US biosimilar industry.

Growing use of innovator biologics, including those with biosimilar competition, has led to increased Medicare Part B drug expenditures, with the trend unlikely to stop.

What can practices do to prepare for all the biosimilars to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) coming down the pipeline? And how can they ensure that the lower-than-anticipated adoption rates for infliximab biosimilars are not repeated? Robert Zutaut, RPh, from McKesson Provider Solutions, tackles all this and more on this episode of Not So Different.

A report from the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM) highlighted the value of biosimilars and generics, revealing that lower-cost versions of originator products accumulated $408 billion for the US health care system in 2022.

Perhaps the most significant development in the pharmaceutical industry in decades, crops of biosimilars are being approved and are ready for distribution. What lies next, in terms of legislation and the impact on pharmacists, remains to be seen.