Oncology

After poor sales for its adalimumab biosimilar, Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) announces layoffs; Teva Pharmaceuticals and mAbxience partner on an oncology biosimilar; Samsung Bioepis begins a phase 3 trial for a biosimilar referencing Keytruda (pembrolizumab).

Despite more biosimilars entering the market and generating significant savings for payers and health care systems, these savings are not resulting in lower out-of-pocket (OOP) costs for patients, according to a recent study.

In its earnings report for the fourth quarter and full year of 2023, Coherus Biosciences detailed its rising revenue growth, which it partly attributed to increased sales for its pegfilgrastim and ranibizumab biosimilars.

Posters from Association of Cancer Care Centers 50th Annual Meeting and Cancer Center Business Summit (AMCCBS) and the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) highlight the benefits of incorporating biosimilars into electronic medical records and the biggest barriers for home injection of biologics.

A review looking back at the last 15 years of experience with the first filgrastim biosimilar (Zarxio) provides a detailed overview on how filgrastim biosimilars came to be and the evidence behind why oncologists have come to accept them as standard practice.

A study found combining trastuzumab biosimilar HLX02, pertuzumab, and chemotherapy was effective and safe for patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who progressed after prior trastuzumab therapy.

Kashyap Patel, MD, CEO of Carolina Blood and Cancer Care, a member of the Community Oncology Alliance, and member of The Center for Biosimilars® Advisory Board, glances back at the development of the biosimilar industry and the last 5 years of progress.

A review emphasizes that bevacizumab biosimilars demonstrate comparable efficacy to the reference product (Avastin) in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) by tackling wound healing concerns in anorectal medicine.

Celltrion announced that 3 of its oncology biosimilar products have won tender contracts in France and Italy, and an experimental oral delivery device utilizing an ustekinumab biosimilar was successful in a phase 1 study.

The authors of a meta-analysis assessing several disease states found no significant differences in serious adverse events, deaths, or treatment discontinuations between patients who switched from reference products to biosimilars and those who did not.

Vizient’s most recent Pharmacy Market Outlook report showcased the success of biosimilars while also emphasizing the impact of inflation on different drug classes, particularly in oncology and immunology.

Samsung Bioepis’ Biosimilar Market Report for the first quarter of 2024 chronicles some major market trends, including which treatment spaces have quicker uptake than others, highlighting missed opportunities for savings as well as the 1-year experience of adalimumab biosimilar competition in the US.

Authors of a review of available postapproval pharmacovigilance data assessing 8 Sandoz biosimilars concluded that these biosimilars “can be used as safely as their respective reference biologics.”

The IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science’s most recent Global Use of Medicines report projected that market introductions of new biosimilar and generic drugs will increase projected losses for originator products from $111 billion to $192 billion over the next 5 years.

As one study presented at the 2023 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) evaluated the use of circulating tumor DNA for response prediction after combination therapy with a trastuzumab biosimilar, another examined the efficacy of a pertuzumab biosimilar candidate.

A French study found that rituximab biosimilars, Rixathon and Truxima, were as effective and safe as the reference drug (Rituxan) in treating immune thrombocytopenia.

The FDA has approved Coherus Biosciences’ on-body injector version of Udenyca (pegfilgrastim-cbqv), making it the first biosimilar to reference Neulasta Onpro, the pegfilgrastim product that holds the majority of the pegfilgrastim market share.

The proposed bevacizumab biosimilar BAT1706 (Bio-Thera Solutions) demonstrated equivalence to the reference product (Avastin) in a phase 3 comparative efficacy trial in patients with advanced nonsquamous non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

IQVIA’s report on the impact biosimilar competition has had on Europe’s health care space identified ongoing challenges with biosimilar access and generating savings, calling for more policies focusing on fostering a sustainable market for years to come.

Posters from San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2023 found that combination therapies featuring trastuzumab biosimilars and other common cancer medicines were safe and effective in patients with breast cancer.

The top 5 most-read oncology stories of 2023 include the US market launch of Fylnetra, the sixth pegfilgrastim biosimilar on the market, the FDA approval for an autoinjector pegfilgrastim biosimilar, and more.

The FDA approved Bio-Thera Solutions’ Avzivi (bevacizumab-tnjn), the fifth biosimilar referencing Avastin (bevacizumab) to be approved in the United States.

The biosimilar Enoxa (enoxaparin), marketed in Tunisia, demonstrated equivalence in preventing subclinical postoperative thrombotic events in patients with digestive cancers to Sanofi’s Lovenox, in a randomized controlled trial.

Two Taiwanese posters presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) 2023 annual meeting evaluated the real-world implications of using trastuzumab biosimilars, particularly Ogivri (trastuzumab-dkst) in patients with HER2-postive breast cancer.

Biosim.care is a new interactive education tool that can help patients, caregivers, and providers navigate decision-making and treatment conversations for multiple disease states.

A simulation study estimated the impact of biosimilar substitution on total cost of care (TCOC) and provider financial performance in the final performance period of the Oncology Care Model.

Outlook Therapeutics provides an update on the development of its bevacizumab candidate for age-related macular degeneration; Samsung Bioepis settles with Johnson & Johnson (J&J) over its ustekinumab biosimilar candidate; and the European Union gains another trastuzumab biosimilar.

The Center for Biosimilars® covered an abundance of oncology news during November, especially during Global Biosimilars Week 2023, which was themed around the growth of oncology biosimilars.

A report from IQVIA noted that Europe could miss out on €15 billion in cost savings by not having biosimilars for medications about to lose market exclusivity, shedding light on the implications for overall health care savings and ultimately, patient access.

Although biosimilars have already generated savings for Medicare Part B programs and beneficiaries, opportunities for substantial reductions in spending remain, according to a report from the HHS.