As the biosimilar market continues to expand, many health systems and insurance companies will start making the decision on what product—the innovator or the biosimilar—will be on their formulary. Health systems will have a difficult time making this decision, which will be driven by their medical staff’s acceptance of biosimilars, the patient mix, and the predominant insurance provider. Making the decision to use or not to use a biosimilar is much more complex than converting to a generic product or switching agents within a therapeutic class.
The ultimate formulary decision requires the evaluation of multiple factors as listed below:
Given that the United States is considerably new in the biosimilar market, the exact degree to which prices will drop remains unknown. The ability to control biologic drug expenditures is challenging because of the complexities of the pharmaceutical supply chain and reimbursement. Overall, one of the most difficult things related to biosimilars will be the ability to accurately predict their value to your health system. It is critical that pharmacists and other stakeholders in the formulary decision process understand the complexity of calculating the overall impact of biosimilars.
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