Research presented at the European League Against Rheumatism’s Annual European Congress of Rheumatology concluded that patients’ attitudes and level of satisfaction with switching to a biosimilar for etanercept or infliximab was associated with their level of health literacy, defined as being given sufficient and necessary information concerning their health.
Researchers found that 80% of patients taking originator etanercept (Enbrel) or originator infliximab (Remicade) who were switched to less expensive biosimilars reported being satisfied or neutral about being switched to a less expensive biosimilar medication. Nearly 1 in 5 patients reported being dissatisfied with the switch to a biosimilar medication. The researchers said that the patients’ attitudes and level of satisfaction with the biosimilar switch were associated with their level of health literacy, defined by the researchers as being given sufficient and necessary information concerning their health.
The study’s findings were presented by Milada Cvancarova Smastuen, PhD, and colleagues at the European League Against Rheumatism’s Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, held June 13-16, 2018, in Amsterdam.
Of the 290 Norwegian patients in the original study group taking Enbrel and Remicade, 155 reported being switched to a biosimilar. Only 14% of switched patients reported being involved in the decision to switch to a biosimilar. The researchers noted that economically motivated switching to biosimilar medications from originator biological medications has been in practice in Norway since 2016.
Data on patients’ attitudes toward, and experiences with, biosimilar switching were gathered from several questionnaires administered via a web survey in January 2017, which also collected demographic information such as gender, age, and marital status. Patients’ health-related literacy was measured using the Health Literacy Questionnaire, a multidimensional validated questionnaire. The investigators used 3 domains covering patients’ ability to actively engage with healthcare providers (scale 6), ability to find good health information (scale 8), and understanding health information well enough to know what to do (scale 9). Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression and results were expressed as odds for being satisfied with the switch.
The authors found that self-assessed good health was strongly associated with a higher probability of being satisfied with the switch; only 9 of 74 patients who reported poor health also reported being satisfied. Adjusted for age and health self-assessment, scales 6 and 8 (but not 9) were significantly associated with higher odds of being satisfied with being switched (odds ration [OR], 2.5; 95% CI, 1.2-5.2 and OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.2-5.9, respectively).
The study also observed that:
Pfizer financially supported the study through an unrestricted grant.
Reference
Smastuen MC, Brandvold M, Andenaes R. Is patient satisfaction with being switched to a biosimilar medication associated with their level of health literacy? Results from a Norwegian user survey. Ann Rheum Dis. 2018;77(Suppl 2):86.
Julie Reed: Why 2024 Is Important for Biosimilars
April 17th 2024Julie Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum, showcases how the biosimilar industry is expected to develop throughout 2024, including major policy changes and hope for continued improvement in market share for adalimumab 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 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.
Alvotech’s Stelara Biosimilar, Selarsdi, Receives FDA Approval
April 16th 2024Alvotech’s Selarsdi (ustekinumab-aekn), a biosimilar referencing Stelara (ustekinumab), gained FDA approval, making it the second ustekinumab biosimilar and second for the company to be given the green light for the American market.
Biosimilars Rheumatology Roundup for February 2024—Podcast Edition
March 3rd 2024On this episode of Not So Different, The Center for Biosimilars® revisited all the major rheumatology biosimilar news from February 2024, including the FDA approval of the 10th adalimumab biosimilar, the promise for an oral delivery system for ustekinumab, and the impact of adalimumab products on COVID-19 antibodies.
BioRationality: Removing the Misconceptions Surrounding Interchangeability
April 15th 2024Sarfaraz K. Niazi, PhD, outlines the current state of interchangeable biosimilars in the US and policy changes needed to clear up misconceptions surrounding the meaning behind interchangeability designations.
Biosimilars Council: PBM Rebate Schemes Cost Americans, Payers $6 Billion
April 10th 2024A report from the Biosimilars Council evaluating IQVIA data found that rebate schemes orchestrated by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) are costing US patients and payers billions of dollars by suppressing biosimilar adoption.