Stakeholder education programs and robust data on clinical studies are key to building patient and provider support for biosimilars, according to a new whitepaper.
A new whitepaper from Samsung Bioepis and Organon takes aim at misconceptions about biosimilars and industry practices that hinder their adoption. The companies held 3 virtual panel sessions with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, policy experts, and patient advocates.
Authors of the paper hold up Cleveland Clinic as a model of a health system that has achieved success in converting patients to biosimilars from reference products.
Key to the success of Cleveland Clinic's program, the authors explain, was educating stakeholders and setting up direct communications so that patients and providers could learn what they needed to know about biosimilars.
Some of those stakeholders were nurses, who were given specific training so that they could “reassure patients about the quality of care they would be receiving and answer any questions patients might have.”
In the broader health care community, “many physicians still lack confidence in biosimilars,” the authors wrote. In oncology, biosimilars have been embraced by physicians and patients, but in gastroenterology, there are lingering concerns about whether these agents will serve patients as well as their reference products.
“Many gastroenterologists who prescribe biologics for their patients with inflammatory bowel disease are concerned about biosimilar safety, immunogenicity, and indication extrapolation,” the authors wrote.
Kaiser Permanente
Another health care institution that has successfully transitioned patients to biosimilars is Kaiser Permanente, authors of the whitepaper said.
“Kaiser’s approach starts with a rigorous review of available biosimilar evidence, including data from manufacturers, FDA approvals, and real-world data from countries where biosimilars have already launched,” they wrote.
Kaiser Permanente got biosimilars into circulation by building physician confidence, a strategy that a Samsung Bioepis executive says should be employed more widely.
Having these data on hand is critical to informing physicians and other stakeholders so they can more readily embrace biosimilars, the authors wrote.
However, those informational materials need to be digestible. “A gastroenterologist participating on the panel who has published on the merits of biosimilars in treating inflammatory conditions shared that many physicians are too busy to study in-depth clinical trial data and would prefer to receive easily digestible educational materials demonstrating a biosimilar’s safety, equivalence, and cost savings,” the authors wrote.
Samsung Bioepis has developed and gained regulatory approval for multiple biosimilar versions of reference products, and it relies on Organon for assistance with marketing these products. Some of Samsung Bioepis’ biosimilars include etanercept (autoimmune), infliximab (immunosuppressive), adalimumab (autoimmune), and other products. The company has a robust pipeline of biosimilars in development, including aflibercept (ophthalmology), denosumab (endocrinology), ustekinumab (immunology), and eculizumab (hematology) candidates.
Eye on Pharma: BI Cyltezo Partnership; Europe Ustekinumab Launch; Mexico Biosimilar Approval
July 24th 2024Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) partners with GoodRx to offer its unbranded adalimumab biosimilar to patients at an exclusive low price; a new ustekinumab biosimilar launches in Europe; and Mexican officials approve a bevacizumab biosimilar.
Biosimilars in America: Overcoming Barriers and Maximizing Impact
July 21st 2024Join us as we explore the complexities of the US biosimilars market, discussing legislative influences, payer and provider adoption factors, and strategies to overcome industry challenges with expert insights from Kyle Noonan, PharmD, MS, value & access strategy manager at Cencora.
Real-World Study: No Increase in Health Resource Costs After Infliximab Biosimilar Introduction
July 20th 2024Although biosimilars reduce drug purchasing costs for hospitals, it’s unclear whether those savings might be offset by increased health resource utilization following a non-medical switching initiative.
Biosimilars Oncology Roundup for June 2024—Podcast Edition
July 7th 2024On this episode of Not So Different, we review biosimilar news coming out of June, with clinical trial results from conferences and a study showcasing how to overcome economic and noneconomic barriers to oncology biosimilars.
Hesitancy in MENA Nations to Adopt WHO Biosimilar Guidelines Hinders Market Development
July 17th 2024The World Health Organization’s (WHO) new guidelines for biosimilar approvals aim to save time and money for manufacturers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), but hesitancy among nations to adopt the guidelines is stifling market development of biosimilars.
BioRationality: Time to Get Rid of PBMs if Biosimilars Are to Succeed
July 15th 2024Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, discusses the challenges with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that plague the biosimilar industry and new legislation that attempts to reform their practices and encourage biosimilar adoption.