Policy

Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, discusses issues affecting biosimilar uptake at the Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020 virtual conference.

Much emphasis is placed on the value of congressional action to reduce prescription costs, but the Center for American Progress suggests there is an existing toolkit to accomplish this objective.

The United States has missed out on almost $20 billion in savings as a result of not having a competitive biosimilar market, according to findings from the Pacific Research Institute.

Many patients with rheumatic diseases are unsure whether their prescriptions are biosimilars, suggesting more efforts in patient education are needed.

This summer, The Center for Biosimilars® interviewed several experts for their opinions on the current need for biosimilars and how companies are working to overcome barriers to uptake. Here are some highlights.

Surya Singh, MD, president and owner of Singh Healthcare Advisors LLC in Lexington, Massachusetts, discussed the future for the US adalimumab market and whether biosimilars can deliver on the promise of lower cost health care.

Some European markets are more formidable than others with regard to complexity and getting biosimilars established, but there are good places to start, Jonathan Sweeting, head of Europe for Samsung Bioepis, explains.

Authors of a report on Medicare spending trends said there’s more to controlling the affordability of insulin than instituting out-of-pocket (OOP) caps.

It’s same old, same old when it comes to pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) contracts despite much touted reforms, authors of a review contend.

To help employers achieve biosimilar savings, the Midwest Business Group on Health has created a 13-step action plan.

Julianna Merten, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, of Mayo Clinic provides an overview of growth factor biosimilars for pharmacists amid the pandemic.

Cheryl Larson, president and CEO of the Midwest Business Group on Health, based in Chicago, Illinois, discussed what employers can do to get biosimilars added to their formulary lists and ensure their pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) aren’t taking advantage of them.

The Association for Accessible Medicines, which represents generic and biosimilar manufacturers, chose a leader with a research, public relations, and strategic planning background.

Opinion leaders discuss the significance of regulatory changes affecting biosimilar and insulin products.

Cheryl Larson, president and CEO of Midwest Business Group on Health, based in Chicago, Illinois, discussed how some employers are taking on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to get biosimilars added to their formularies and what it could mean for biosimilar savings going forward.

The statistics show that for the Rocky Mountain province, biosimilar savings are pouring into the health care system and allowing for significantly greater access.

Two Biogen officials make the case for getting anti–tumor necrosis factor (TNF) biosimilars into wider play.

Express Scripts, the country's largest pharmacy benefit manager, has reshuffled its preferred formulary list for 2021, giving preference to fewer pegfilgrastim products than in 2020.

After receiving regulatory approval in June, Sandoz launched 2 of its biosimilars on the Canadian market.

US administrative and legislative efforts are moving the United States and Germany more into alignment on drug cost management philosophy, according to a review.

Employers could save thousands of dollars by promoting the use of biosimilars that will keep employees with rheumatoid arthritis from having to file for disability, according to Brian Gifford, PhD, research director of the Integrated Benefits Institute.

A Pacific Research Institute economist says that by his scorecard, biosimilars are not supercharging the market the way they ought to be doing .

We sat down with Carter Thorne, MD, FRCPC, former president of the Canadian Rheumatology Association and chief of the Division of Rheumatology and director of The Arthritis Program at Southlake Regional Health Centre in Newmarket, Ontario, to discuss the current status of Canada’s comfort level with biosimilars and what he sees for the future of switching policies.

There has been an outpouring of advocacy tugging biosimilars into the marketplace, and market share of these lower-cost drugs has increased.

Allowing pharmacists to independently fill prescriptions with biosimilars can offer community oncology practices a way to cut costs and increase access to cancer care for patients, according to Lucy Langer, MD.

Defining biosimilar use in the United States as "sluggish," Juliana Reed, MS, said employers have to get involved.

Nancy J. Globus, PharmD, vice president of Regulatory Affairs at the Accreditation Council for Medical Affairs (ACMA), discusses the truth behind 4-letter suffixes and product confusion among physicians and pharmacists.

Dismayed at the low biosimilar uptake and the lost savings, large employers are taking matters into their own hands.

Pharmacy experts discuss their level of confidence with biosimilars and some of the hurdles that stand in the way of optimizing these lower-cost medicines.

Investigators set out to learn whether the imposition of out-of-pocket spending caps on specialty drugs would unleash a wave of drug spending and prompt payer policy change.