Gastroenterology

An advance is notched for the ravulizumab (Ultomiris) follow-on product from Alexion. Clinical findings in atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) are provided.

A diverse panel from practice, payer, and wholesale perspectives convened at The American Journal of Managed Care®'s Patient-Centered Oncology Care® 2020 virtual conference to hash out one of the hottest issues in biosimilar availability right now.

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommendation for ravulizumab (Ultomiris) is for a dosage that involves a less rigorous schedule for administration.

Lotus and CKD Pharmaceutical intend to be among the first to bring a darbepoetin alpha biosimilar to Southeast Asia.

Intract Pharma believes infliximab can be delivered orally and, in conjunction with Celltrion Group, aims to apply its technology and expertise to make it happen.

An upcoming webinar from MJH Life Sciences™ will address the payer rebate deals that limit provider choice of biosimilars and complicate clinical pharmacy operations.

Wide variation in treatment patterns for Crohn disease is attributable to failures to translate evidence uniformly and cost barriers. Authors of a new report have formulated algorithms to help reduce heterogeneity in treatment of patients.

Slow growth of use of biosimilar infliximab in a Medicare fee-for-service population suggests lingering hesitancy on the part of gastroenterologists and patients, particularly when it comes to extrapolation to off-label uses, according to a new study.

The UK results show how challenging switching to a biosimilar can be, according to patient groups.

With successful findings from a phase 3 trial of its bevacizumab biosimilar candidate, Iranian company AryoGen Pharmed is a step closer to commercialization of this product.

The Federal Trade Commission was deeply divided over whether the AbbVie-Allergan $63 billion merger plan would allow for a sufficiently competitive marketplace.

Although the totality of the evidence is reassuring, the jury is still out on nonmedical switching to biosimilars, according to new study results.

The Danish medical system saved 82.8% on adalimumab by switching almost all patients from the reference product to biosimilars, but such a benefit for the US healthcare system may not be possible, according to a new study.

In inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), biosimilars have been available for roughly 5 years, but more evidence may be necessary to persuade medical community to increase usage, according to a study.

Canadian provinces encounter opposition in their move to implement forced switching of patients from reference products to biosimilars.

Only 24% of providers were comfortable with prescribing biosimilars for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The study compared the stool samples of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) with patients with familial adenomatous polyposis. Both groups may have colectomies, but only the patients with UC have inflammation that may return even after surgery.

The Center for Biosimilars® recaps the top stories for the week of February 17, 2020.

Because of the high cost of biologics, the authors recognized a need to provide access to evidence-based information on biosimilars for healthcare providers working with patients with inflammatory bowel disease.

Health New England says it achieved 93% utilization by requiring prior authorization.

Just 6% of the Asian doctors said they felt confident using biosimilars in clinical practice. A survey of European doctors found a similar confidence level in 2013, but that level had climbed to 28.8% by 2015.

The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Net, an official working group of the Swiss Society of Gastroenterology, has issued a new position statement on the use of biosimilars in treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

While anti–tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) drugs are effective at treating a range of inflammatory diseases, some limited data suggest that they may, paradoxically, result in a higher risk of developing other de novo inflammatory conditions.

At the United European Gastroenterology Week 2019, held in Barcelona, Spain, earlier this year, a research team from the Netherlands reported on the prevalence of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) switching back to the reference infliximab after a previous switch to biosimilar CT-P13, and found that switching back appeared to be effective in patients with IBD.

It has been hypothesized that metalloproteinases, and particularly MMP3, could a have a role in degrading anti–tumor necrosis factor drugs, leading to treatment failure in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance engaged the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health to lead a multiphase stakeholder consultation process to encourage biosimilar uptake.

As yet, there exists no consensus as to whether proactive or reactive monitoring is the most appropriate approach in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who receive infliximab therapy.

In Crohn disease (CD), anti–tumor necrosis factor therapies like adalimumab have provided an alternative to long-term corticosteroid therapy and have reduced the need for many patients to have surgical interventions. It has been proposed that early treatment with biologics may lead to better outcomes and fewer complications—like strictures and fistulae—and findings from a recent study support that assertion.

Data on the safety and efficacy of biosimilar infliximab CT-P13 (Inflectra, Remsima) in treating inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) continue to accrue, in both adult patients and in pediatric patients, and a study from Finland adds to that body of knowledge, while another study in pediatric patients shows that Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors may be an option for those who do not respond adequately to infliximab or other biologic treatment.

The issue of whether to switch patients currently taking biologics to biosimilars has been playing out in Canada over the past week, as mandated switching begins in British Columbia, while a reference product maker fights against a possible similar change in 2 other provinces.