Skylar Jeremias

As the US biosimilar industry prepares for a busy summer, businesses worldwide make strides to elevate their biosimilars portfolio, from some business extending and strengthening their partnerships to new deals for adalimumab products ahead of US launches.

The Center for Biosimilars® provides an updated look on the adalimumab biosimilars that are coming down the US pipeline as well as what stakeholders need to know and how they can prepare ahead of the US launch of 8 adalimumab biosimilars in July 2023.

Juliana (Julie) Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum, predicts how long it will take for savings from adalimumab and ranibizumab biosimilar competition to fully manifest and how stakeholders can champion for better market competition for biosimilars.

An analysis of 25 studies found adalimumab, infliximab, and etanercept biosimilars were considered just as safe, effective, and tolerable compared with their originators in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

Researchers of a retrospective cohort study found that a rituximab biosimilar, BCD-020, was safe and effective in pediatric patients with lupus nephritis.

Implementing strategies, such as dose rounding, can offset the impact of drug waste and reduce the total cost of care for value-based programs, according to a recent study of practices participating in the Oncology Care Model.

Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, director of pharmacy services at Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute, explains how oncology practices can work better with payers to increase biosimilar adoption and how those collaborations can be applied to other disease areas, such as immunology and neurology.

Coherus Biosciences and AbbVie agree to resolve a dispute regarding Coherus’ partnership with the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company and an adalimumab biosimilar, and Celltrion and Bio-Thera Solutions expand their respective partnerships to include more biosimilar products.

SmithRx becomes the first pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) to announce it will cover Yusimry, 1 of 9 FDA-approved adalimumab biosimilars; Celltrion Healthcare receives a thumbs-up from the FDA to test a biosimilar for Ocrevus; Alvotech and Teva Pharmaceuticals settle with Johnson & Johnson over their biosimilar referencing Stelara.

After 8 years of trastuzumab biosimilar competition and slow uptake, a new report shows that trastuzumab biosimilar discounts from the reference product (Herceptin) doubled between 2019 and 2022.

Alvotech and Advanz Pharma extend their partnership to commercialize 5 biosimilar candidates across Europe.

The Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Company, an online pharmacy dedicated to increasing access to lower-cost prescriptions, is partnering with Coherus Biosciences to distribute Yusimry, a biosimilar referencing Humira. It’s the first time the pharmacy has added a biosimilar to its list of drugs.

Over the course of May, the immunology biosimilar space bloomed, with a European approval, a delay for ustekinumab biosimilars, more clinical trial updates, and insights into the industry from multiple immunology experts.

The European Commission has granted marketing authorization to Samsung Bioepis' biosimilar referencing Soliris (eculizumab). The product, dubbed Epysqli, is the first hematology biosimilar from Samsung Bioepis to be approved in the European Union.

Amgen has settled with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) over the former’s ustekinumab biosimilar referencing Stelara, delaying the projected launch of the candidate from late 2023 to January 2025.

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.

A group of panelists at Asembia 2023 shared the bigger role that pharmacists, payers, and providers can play in growing biosimilar acceptance and championing policy changes that boost biosimilar utilization.

Celltrion Healthcare announced that the FDA has approved Yuflyma (adalimumab-aaty) as the ninth biosimilar referencing Humira (adalimumab).

As Celltrion Healthcare announces the launch of the biobetter version of Remsima (Remsima SC) in Brazil, the company shared the phase 3 plan for its ocrelizumab biosimilar to treat multiple sclerosis (MS).

As Sandoz and Just-Evotec Biologics announce a new partnership, Celltrion secures tender wins in Italy and Belgium, and Alvotech begins testing its golimumab biosimilar in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Amneal Pharmaceuticals has announced the launch of its pegfilgrastim biosimilar, Fylnetra (pegfilgrastim-pbbk), for the treatment and prevention of febrile neutropenia, making it the sixth biosimilar referencing Neulasta to enter the US market.

In light of 2 blockbuster originators, namely Humira (adalimumab) and Stelara (ustekinumab), losing market exclusivity in 2023, 3 doctors penned supplement in The American Journal of Managed Care®. On this episode, Vibeke Strand, MD, one of the co-authors, explored how health systems can take charge and boost biosimilar adoption.

The 2023 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit featured Juliana (Julie) Reed, executive director of the Biosimilars Forum, who spoke on the challenges still facing the biosimilars industry and how they may impact the success of adalimumab biosimilars in the United States.

In the first edition of Samsung Bioepis’ Biosimilar Market Report, the company outlined the current state of the US biosimilars market and how increasing adoption has had an impact on pricing changes for biosimilars and their reference products.

Colby Evans, MD, a dermatologist and co-author of an American Journal of Managed Care® supplement “Biosimilars for Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: 2022 Update" shares the managed care perspective on using biosimilars to treat inflammatory conditions.

Andre Harvin, PharmD, executive director of pharmacy and oncology services at Cone Health, explains how oncologists can work with other stakeholders to expand access to biosimilars and how patients can work with providers and biosimilar manufacturers to address financial challenges.

In a panel at the 2023 Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit, speakers presented on the payer perspective regarding biosimilars, including that they feel comfortable preferring multiple biosimilars for the same reference product and are looking for interchangeability designations.

At the 2023 Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting, Samsung Bioepis shared comparable safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity data through 1 year between its aflibercept biosimilar (SB15) and the originator (Eylea).

On this episode of Not So Different, we recap some of the main news in April regarding biosimilars used to treat rheumatic conditions, including some progressions and some setbacks as well as research on nonmedical switching from originators to biosimilars.

In April, biosimilars to treat rheumatic conditions had some progress, as well as some setbacks, and research showed that switching from originators to biosimilars is safe and effective but warned about the nocebo effect.