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Michael Kolodziej, MD: Anticancer Biosimilars and the Cost of Cancer Care
Michael Kolodziej, MD, vice president and chief innovation officer at ADVI Health, Inc, discusses how much anticancer biosimilars will impact the cost of cancer treatment.
Transcript:
Do anticancer biosimilars have a role in bringing down the cost of oncology care?
The role of biosimilars and the cost of cancer care remains to be determined. There is little doubt that the introduction of generics in the small molecules made a tremendous difference in terms of reducing the cost of cancer care. It was counterbalanced by the introduction of predominantly new biologics.
So that was the last 10 years, and now we’re entering a phase where the equivalent of “generic” biologics is starting to make an impact on the market. What we saw in the small-molecule generic was discounts ultimately as high as 80% or 90% as the third or fourth generic drug came to market. It has been argued that we will never see that kind of a discount in the biosimilar market because the compounds are far too complicated to manufacture and the regulatory burden on manufacturers to meet FDA muster is substantially greater, and that’s undoubtedly true.
But let’s remember that if you look at the cost of care over the last 10 years—the rise in the cost of cancer care related to drugs—are actually due to 2 classes of agents, 1 being oral specialty pharmacy agents where the increase is by far the greatest, but the second are the biologics.
So, even a 10% or 15% discount for a biosimilar agent that is embraced by the clinical community could mean millions or even billions of dollars for a payer. So, the answer is yes.
Now the fascinating thing is this week*, Coherus announced they were going to come in at 33% lower than the reference product, which is Neulasta. That has rocked the market a little bit and may wind up being a bellwether for what we’re going to see as we see other biosimilars, including the big therapeutic biosimilars which we’re going to see coming in the next couple of years—biosimilars for Herceptin and Rituxan—we will see.
The answer is it can’t not reduce the cost of care. It will reduce the cost of care. The question is how much.
*as of the date of filming.
Q&A With Dr Chelsee Jensen: Navigating FDA Approvals, Challenges in the Biosimilar Landscape
January 14th 2024Chelsee Jensen, PharmD, BCPS, senior pharmacy specialist and pharmaceutical formulary manager at Mayo Clinic, reacts to the biggest FDA approvals of 2023 and how she sees the adalimumab, natalizumab, and tocilizumab spaces playing out.
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 and 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.
IGBA 2023: Dr Monique Mansoura Highlights the Intersection of Geopolitical Issues, Biopharma
February 19th 2023COVID-19 allowed governments to critically examine the biopharma space to increase access to vaccines, but there's still a way to go, according to Monique Mansoura, PhD, MBA, executive director of global health security and biotechnology at the MITRE Corporation, at the International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association’s annual meeting.
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.
