Amgen Executive Discusses Prominent Biosimilar Trends

Amgen has multiple biosimilars in the marketplace, but also many originator drugs, which puts it on both sides of the scrimmage line.

That gives the company the perspective that policies and regulations designed to stimulate and advance biosimilar competition could be detrimental to the level of innovative investment, as it would potentially make less funding available for biopharmaceutical companies to invest in new drugs, Jen Norton, a vice president and head of US Value & Access for Amgen, says in this interview with Tony Hagen, senior editor for The Center for Biosimilars®. “Oftentimes when you create special legislation to incentivize a particular category over another category, there can be a series of downstream consequences.”

The occasion was Amgen’s presentation of findings from its 2021 Biosimilar Trends Report at the AMCP Nexus 2021 meeting this week at the Gaylord Rockies in Denver, Colorado. Norton authored the report.

Biosimilar market share gains have been strongest in the oncology space, where biosimilars emerged just in the past few years. “It’s really been impressive to see how biosimilars have taken a major role within our health care ecosystem," she says.

Some developments ahead may rival or exceed biosimilar accomplishments so far, such as the arrival of adalimumab biosimilars in 2023. Patients will be able to self-administer these, and this expansion of biosimilars into the pharmacy benefit will be a critical, market-changing event, Norton says.