Mandated Switching to Biosimilars Begins in British Columbia, May Spread to Other Provinces
November 27th 2019The 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.
Researchers Describe PopPK Model Developed for HLX01
November 26th 2019Because stand-alone pharmacokinetic (PK) studies are usually designed to focus on intrinsic and extrinsic factors that have a high potential to affect drug exposure, they leave other possible interactions unstudied; population PK (popPK) analysis allows for an assessment of multiple factors that are not otherwise evaluated in healthy volunteers and allows for a larger number of individuals to be included.
Subcutaneous Formulation of Celltrion's Biosimilar Infliximab Authorized by European Commission
November 26th 2019Celltrion Healthcare announced that the European Commission has authorized Remsima SC, a subcutaneously administered formulation of its biosimilar infliximab, CT-P13, for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. The product is the first subcutaneous infliximab option to be approved in any regulatory territory.
FDA Releases Draft Guidance on Insulin Biosimilars, Interchangeable Insulins
November 25th 2019The FDA today released draft guidance for industry on clinical immunogenicity considerations for biosimilar insulins and interchangeable insulins. The guidance document provides recommendations as to whether—and when—comparative clinical immunogenicity studies will be needed to support an application to the FDA for insulin products under the biosimilar approval pathway.
Report Shows How Much Price of Adalimumab, Insulin Glargine, Varies Globally
November 25th 2019How much does the price of common drugs vary across the globe? A UK digital healthcare startup collected that information to display the disparities across 50 countries for 13 often-used pharmaceuticals, including adalimumab and insulin glargine.
Nordic Study Shows Similar Retention Rates for Biosimilar and Reference Etanercept, Infliximab
November 25th 2019Nordic countries have had some of the highest rates of biosimilar use, and extensive registry data in these countries also allow for observational studies of biosimilar use in real-world clinical practice. A new study used data from 5 such registries—which included more than 2000 patients with spondyloarthritis—to assess retention rates for those treated with biosimilars or reference products of etanercept and infliximab.
Newly Reported Phase 3 Data Support Biosimilarity of HLX02 and Reference Trastuzumab
November 25th 2019During the European Society for Medical Oncology Asia Congress 2019, held last week in Singapore, a research team led by Binghe Xu, MD, PhD, department of medical oncology at the Cancer Hospital Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China, reported that the biosimilar met its primary end point of best overall response rate at week 24.
Drug Pricing Proposals and Implications for Biosimilars
November 25th 2019Based on the number of bills coming through Congress, it is clear that biosimilars have become synonymous with decreasing healthcare costs. Even with only a few biosimilars commercially available thus far, the federal push towards these drugs has been pronounced.
Sandoz Execs Reflect on a Decade of Experience With the BPCIA, Look to Biosimilars' Future
November 22nd 2019In an interview with The Center for Biosimilars®, Sandoz’s Sheila Frame, MBA, vice president of marketing, market access, and patient services, and William Yoon, PharmD, MBA, head of external engagement and medical advocacy, reflected on the past decade of experience with the biosimilar pathway and gave a look at the future of Sandoz’s biosimilar efforts.
Senate Hearing Focus for FDA Chief Centers Away From Drug Pricing
November 21st 2019President Trump’s choice to lead the FDA faced some questions, but not many, about drug pricing, according to various press reports about the Senate committee hearing Thursday regarding the nomination of Stephen Hahn, MD, FASTRO, the chief medical officer of MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Developing PD Biomarkers Could Streamline Biosimilar Development
November 21st 2019Last month, writing in a perspective piece in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, a group of authors further explored the rationale for developing and using pharmacodynamic (PD) biomarkers in biosimilar development.
GAO Report: Reference and Generic Sponsors Look Differently at FDA REMS Enforcement
November 20th 2019Perhaps not surprisingly, officials from generic drug companies, reference product companies, the FDA, and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have different opinions about the usefulness of various actions the federal government has taken to prevent abuses of risk evaluation and mitigation strategies (REMS), according to a recently released Government Accounting Office (GAO) report.
Europe Weighs the Merits of Duplicate Marketing Authorizations for Biologics
November 20th 2019This month, the European Commission’s Pharmaceutical Committee, part of the Health and Food Safety Directorate-General, updated EU member states as to the results of a targeted consultation it undertook in 2018 on a specific type of duplicate marketing authorization applications (MAAs) for originator biologics and their potential impact on biosimilars.
Medicare Enrollees Looking at Stand-Alone Part D Drug Plans Should Shop Around, Report Says
November 20th 2019With more choices available in 2020 for Medicare stand-alone Part D drug plans, beneficiaries should compare choices, especially if they are not low income or on specialty drugs or drugs not on the payer’s formulary, according to a new analysis.
The FDA Will Review Samsung Bioepis' Proposed Bevacizumab Biosimilar, SB8
November 19th 2019Samsung Bioepis announced Tuesday that the FDA has accepted for review the company’s Biologics License Application (BLA) for SB8, a proposed bevacizumab biosimilar referencing Avastin. The biosimilar developer submitted the BLA in September.
More Data Needed on Using Biologics in Children, Review Says
November 18th 2019A recent review explored the evidence of monoclonal antibodies (mAb) and fusion proteins (FP) to examine their safety and efficacy in the most common chronic inflammatory diseases in children—bronchial asthma, psoriasis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD).
Biosimilars Make Progress in the Canadian Market, but Stakeholders See More Work Ahead
November 18th 2019While much attention over the past few weeks has been on the US biosimilars market, with its recent approvals and product launches, Canada has also been making strides in its own biosimilars experience.
Anti-VEGFs May Provide Substantial Economic Value to Patients and Society in Treating Wet AMD
November 18th 2019The field of biosimilar contenders for anti–vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) therapies is taking shape, with biosimilar developer Coherus seeking to launch its ranibizumab biosimilar in 2021 and Samsung Bioepis having reached a commercialization agreement for 2 biosimilar anti-VEGFs of its own. Last week, a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology supported the use of anti-VEGF agents in wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), saying that, though these drugs are costly, they may provide substantial economic value to both patients and society.
Novartis Confirms It Has Launched Biosimilar Pegfilgrastim, Ziextenzo, in the United States
November 15th 2019Novartis has confirmed in an email to The Center for Biosimilars® that it has launched Sandoz’s pegfilgrastim biosimilar, Ziextenzo, in the United States. According to Novartis, the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) for Ziextenzo is $3925, or an approximate 37% discount off the WAC for the reference product, Amgen’s Neulasta.
AARP Says Brand-Name Drug Prices Outpaced Inflation Once Again in 2018
November 15th 2019The AARP Public Policy Institute has released a new Rx Price Watch report showing that, last year, the retail prices of 267 brand-name drugs that are commonly used by older Americans rose by an average of 5.8%—more than twice the general rate of inflation, which was 2.4%.
Bill to Stop Disingenuous Citizen Petitions Advances in House
November 15th 2019A House subcommittee voted unanimously Thursday to send a bill intended to stop sham citizen petitions from clogging the FDA’s approval process for generic drugs under the section 505 pathway to the full Energy and Commerce Committee.