Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCPS, clinical coordinator of hematology/oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, discusses pharmacists' educational needs on biosimilars.
Transcript:
I think it's not just pharmacists. It's the overall healthcare team and provider team. Right now I think we're still in a new and emerging area. Hopefully, shortly we’ll also see biosimilar insulin on the market, too, and that’ll be a great discussion; that’s a big topic right now in the biosimilar area.
For pharmacists, I think there needs to be a lot more discussion on how drugs are getting approved, what is the regulatory process: phase 1, phase 3. We also need to go over and delineate a lot more discussion on the global implementation of biosimilars to help provide more of a foundation for discussions here in the [United States, US].
Other areas which are requiring a lot more education: [continuing education, CE], review articles as well to get the information out there in the next few years. We need more discussion on [pharmacy and therapeutics, P and T] implementation, how that works. Reimbursement is going to be critical in this area, and there is a pure lack of understanding of reimbursement.
In fact, if there's one thing that can be done, it’s to create a level playing field for the understanding of reimbursement, both from a private payer and also government payer type of situation to make sure everyone is on the same page. I feel the more we talk about this, the more the education goes on on this, it will only help better provide resources for patients, but also institutions. So pharmacists really need to be aware of that as well.
PBM Evolution Toward Value-Based Care Shifts to Transparent Pharmacy Pricing
March 30th 2025Josh Canavan, PharmD, RazorMetrics, and Chris O'Dell, Turquoise Health, predict pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) will evolve toward value-based care, mirroring the broader shift toward open-cost structures.
How AI Can Help Address Cost-Related Nonadherence to Biologic, Biosimilar Treatment
March 9th 2025Despite saving billions, biosimilars still account for only a small share of the biologics market—what's standing in the way of broader adoption and how can artificial intelligence (AI) help change that?
Empowering Vulnerable Populations: The Path to Equitable Biologic Therapy Access
December 22nd 2024Elie Bahou, PharmD, senior vice president and system chief pharmacy officer at Providence, discusses strategies to improve equitable access to biologic therapies, including tiered formularies, income-based cost sharing, patient assistance programs, and fostering payer partnerships.
Biosimilars in America: Overcoming Barriers and Maximizing Impact
July 21st 2024Join us as we explore the complexities of the US biosimilars market, discussing legislative influences, payer and provider adoption factors, and strategies to overcome industry challenges with expert insights from Kyle Noonan, PharmD, MS, value & access strategy manager at Cencora.
Can Global Policies to Boost Biosimilar Adoption Work in the US?
November 17th 2024On this special episode of Not So Different honoring Global Biosimilars Week, Craig Burton, executive director of the Biosimilars Council, explores how global policies—from incentives to health equity strategies—could boost biosimilar adoption in the US.
Q&A With Dr Chelsee Jensen: Navigating FDA Approvals, Challenges in the Biosimilar Landscape
January 14th 2024Chelsee Jensen, PharmD, BCPS, senior pharmacy specialist and pharmaceutical formulary manager at Mayo Clinic, reacts to the biggest FDA approvals of 2023 and how she sees the adalimumab, natalizumab, and tocilizumab spaces playing out.