Skylar Jeremias

Two studies presented at the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois, demonstrated the impact that a ranibizumab biosimilar (SB11; Byooviz) can have on patient outcomes.

Biosimilar and generic drugs accumulated $373 billion in savings in 2021, $7 billion of which can be attributed to biosimilars alone, according to a report from the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM).

October ushered in a number of policy updates, including the implementation of a biosimilars switching policy, the European Union declaration of biosimilars as interchangeable, and the reauthorization of the Biosimilars User Fee Act.

Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, from Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute, offers advice to health systems on how they can incorporate some of Emory Healthcare's strategies to promote biosimilar uptake.

Here are the top 5 biosimilar articles for the week of October 24, 2022.

Similis Bio signed a licensing and codevelopment agreement with Blau Farmacêutica, allowing the latter to have exclusive development and marketing rights to 4 biosimilar assets in Latin America.

Speakers during a LinkedIn Live panel discussion expressed a dire need for all stakeholders to work together to increase education efforts, provide clarity on safety and interchangeability, and encourage adoption of biosimilars in ophthalmology.

Genentech and Roche have voluntarily recalled their ophthalmology biobetter, Susvimo, an ocular implant for ranibizumab injection, in the United States for a possible leakage issue.

A report from Cardinal Health tells that rheumatologists are more familiar and confident in biosimilars compared with 2020, showing that education efforts are effective and that rheumatologists are more willing to prescribe biosimilars to their patients.

Here are the top 5 biosimilar articles for the week of October 17, 2022.

Saskatchewan joined 5 provinces and 1 territory in implementing a biosimilar switching policy, allowing for reference products to be switched out for biosimilars and lowering drug costs for the province’s public health plan.

After months of pressure and calls for action, President Biden reauthorized the Biosimilar User Fee Act, which will allow the FDA to assess and collect fees for biosimilars for the next 5 years.

Amgen’s ninth edition of its Biosimilar Trends Report explores the evolution of the US biosimilar industry, including current trends, predictions for the next few years, advice for stakeholders going forward, and insight into how reimbursement and other policies could develop.

Bio-Thera Solutions began a phase 1 trial for its mepolizumab biosimilar candidate; Biocon Biologics licenses out 2 biosimilars to Yoshindo; and Alvotech and STADA Arzneimittel launch Hukyndra, an adalimumab biosimilar, in Switzerland.

In this podcast episode, Kathy Oubre, MS, CEO of Pontchartrain Cancer Center, discussed the stresses that practices and clinics face when trying to manage biosimilars as well as some policy considerations that administrators should keep in mind as more biosimilars enter the market and are added to formularies.

Here are the top 5 biosimilar articles for the week of October 10, 2022.

Nabil Saba, MD, a medical oncologist and immunotherapy specialist in the treatment of head and neck cancer at Emory Healthcare and the Winship Cancer Institute, explained how the eventual introduction of biosimilars for Opdivo (nivolumab) and Keytruda (pembrolizuamb) will help patients with head and neck cancer.

Biosimilars Canada, a national association representing the Canadian biosimilar industry, held a press conference calling on Ontario, the province containing the nation’s capital, to institute a biosimilars switching policy.

A new bill (HR 8877) introduced to the House of Representatives is seeking to remove barriers that prevent the substitution of reference products with interchangeable biosimilars to support utilization of and access to lower-cost therapies.

Here are the top 5 biosimilar articles for the week of October 3, 2022.

Recently, the US got 2 new biosimilars on the market, a bevacizumab and an interchangeable ranibizumab; Amneal Pharmaceuticals filed for marketing authorization in Europe; and Sandoz released positive results for a denosumab candidate.

Two posters presented at the annual conference of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) demonstrated positive phase 3 results for proposed biosimilars that reference blockbuster drug, Eylea (aflibercept).

Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, from Emory Healthcare and Winship Cancer Institute, explains how stakeholders may view the economic value of biosimilars differently based on their goals and his predictions for how biosimilar utilization will develop in the future.

On this episode of Not So Different, we take a look at some of the big stories regarding oncology biosimilars throughout the month of September, including 2 FDA approvals, and the withdrawal of a European application.

In addition to our month-long series preparing for the 2023 introduction of adalimumab biosimilars, September featured a number of updates for oncology biosimilars, including 2 FDA approvals and the withdrawal of a European application.

Vegzelma became the fourth biosimilar referencing Avastin (bevacizumab) to be approved for use in the United States for several types of cancer.

Here are the top 5 biosimilar articles for the week of September 26, 2022.

Health Canada approved Lupin Limited’s Rymti, the third etanercept biosimilar to be granted regulatory approval in the country. Meanwhile, Prestige Biopharma announced that it withdrew its European application for its trastuzumab biosimilar.

Part 5 available now! Paul Reider, MBA, chief commercial officer at Coherus Biosciences, chronicles why Coherus got an interchangeable designation for its ophthalmology biosimilar, how it plans to set its adalimumab biosimilar apart from the rest, and when the pegfilgrastim market could see a competitor for Neulasta Onpro.

The final part of this 4-part series assesses what payers should know about the US introduction of adalimumab biosimilars coming in 2023 as well as policy consideration they can implement to reap the benefits of biosimilar savings.