Immunology

The FDA approved a new strength of a trastuzumab biosimilar; UnitedHealth will remove reference adalimumab from some preferred drug lists in favor of biosimilars and Evernorth will offer an interchangeable ustekinumab biosimilar at no cost to patients; Samsung Bioepis received a positive regulatory opinion for its aflibercept biosimilar.

A summary of research written by Vibeke Strand, MD, clinical professor in division of immunology/rheumatology at Stanford University School of Medicine, gave an overview of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in the VOLTAIRE-RA trial.

The European Commission (EC) approved Celltrion's ustekinumab biosimilar for chronic inflammatory diseases, Celltrion expanded access to Zymfentra (subcutaneous infliximab-dyyb) through partnerships with Cigna and Express Scripts, and the Association for Accessible Medicines held a policy briefing addressing barriers to biosimilar adoption.

An observational study assessing patient satisfaction with adalimumab for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) reported a high level of satisfaction with all adalimumab product, including biosimilars.

Sophia Humphreys, PharmD, MHA, BCBBS, director of system formulary management at Sutter Health, discusses the challenges of expanding biosimilars into new therapeutic areas and highlights the role of education, competitive pricing, and integrated delivery networks in improving adoption and market growth.

A real-world study of the biosimilar infliximab-dyyb (CT-P13; Inflectra) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) reported the majority of patients who initiated CT-P13 switched from the reference product (Remicade) or another biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug.

Switching children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) from anti–tumor necrosis factor originators to biosimilars showed similar disease activity and drug persistence, with good tolerability, supporting the safety and effectiveness of non-medical switching.

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis who switched from the etanercept originator to a biosimilar exhibited similar disease activity and drug persistence compared with those who remained on the originator, indicating that nonmedical switching does not negatively impact treatment outcomes.

The 2023 European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) recommendations for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) provide an evidence-based treatment strategy, prioritizing conventional and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, including biosimilars, tailored to disease manifestations, with an emphasis on safety, cost-effectiveness, and patient-centered care.

Market remonopolization by a biosimilar drug in Poland led to significant price increases for etanercept, resulting in over €3.42 million in excess health care costs, according to a recent study.

Celltrion's adalimumab-aaty biosimilar is now accessible for all Costco members, while Amgen sues Samsung Bioepis over the latter’s denosumab biosimilar candidate, and GlycoNex progresses its denosumab biosimilar SPD8 to phase 3 trials.

CMS announced negotiated prices for 10 drugs under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), sparking mixed reactions, with concerns that including drugs facing imminent biosimilar competition could hinder market access to lower-cost alternatives.

An analysis of subcutaneous biosimilar and originator tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors for rheumatic diseases found no significant differences in survival or discontinuation rates due to inefficacy or adverse events, with biosimilars showing lower overall discontinuation rates and higher retention rates.

Manitoba’s new policy means that all 10 Canadian provinces now have an initiative to boost biosimilar adoption and savings by transitioning patients on reference agents to biosimilar options.

Products in line to face biosimilar competition are projected to increase their list prices in advance, according to Vizient’s Pharmacy Market Outlook Report for Summer 2024.

Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) partners with GoodRx to offer its unbranded adalimumab biosimilar to patients at an exclusive low price; a new ustekinumab biosimilar launches in Europe; and Mexican officials approve a bevacizumab biosimilar.

About half of the patients in a European study who transitioned from reference adalimumab to a biosimilar version stayed on the biosimilar at the 1-year mark. However, researchers warned about a possible nocebo effect resulting in some patients switching back to the originator.

The European Union approves a tocilizumab biosimilar and the US sees another launch, Genentech’s ophthalmology biobetter returns to the market, and Samsung Bioepis shares data on switching to its denosumab biosimilar.

A phase 1 study demonstrated pharmacokinetic (PK) bioequivalence of the proposed ustekinumab biosimilar SB17 (Samsung Bioepis) to the EU- and US-sourced reference products.

As Celltrion publishes phase 3 data on its tocilizumab biosimilar, other companies finalize partnerships, and Formycon begins development for a pembrolizumab biosimilar.

Pyzchiva (ustekinumab-ttwe) is the third ustekinumab biosimilar to receive approval for the American market. It was also approved with interchangeability.

Lack of knowledge and confidence in biosimilars continues despite growing education efforts, impacting provider willingness to prescribe biosimilar medicines and patient perceptions about their treatment and switching to a biosimilar.

A real-world study using data from the French National Health Data System, found no significant differences in treatment persistence or safety between anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α biosimilars and reference products in all indications of these biologics.

The FDA has issued an update to its guidance on requiring switching study data for biosimilars to be granted interchangeability, citing new science that shows these studies aren’t needed to establish biosimilar safety.

A real-world study of children and young adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) switched from the infliximab reference product to a biosimilar concluded effectiveness was maintained over 12 months based on stable remission rates and biochemical markers.

Researchers reviewed real-world evidence on the safety and effectiveness of switching from tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitor originators to biosimilars in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), prompted by mandatory switching policies in most Canadian provinces.

American and European regulatory agencies have provided companies with good news, with several biosimilar candidates seeing application acceptances or approvals in Europe.

A literature review revealed new data demonstrating that biosimilar-to-biosimilar switching is safe and effective.

Alvotech and Teva have launched Simlandi in the US; Xbrane Biopharma and STADA Arzneimitel partner with Valorum Biologics to bring a ranibizumab biosimilar to the US; Boehringer Ingelheim and Celltrion take steps to expand access to their respective adalimumab biosimilars.

Two posters from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy’s annual meeting provided hope that despite low uptake so far, adalimumab biosimilars can deliver on the promise of comparable safety and efficacy with the originator in multiple disease states, as well as cost savings.