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Sonia T. Oskouei, PharmD: The Launch of Biosimilar Rituximab and Its Impact on Cancer Care
Sonia T. Oskouei, PharmD, vice president of innovation and solution development at Premier Inc, discusses the launch of the first rituximab biosimilar in the United States.
Transcript
Yeah, it's a good question. So the rituximab biosimilar is very exciting, to be launched, the first one is just launched. And I think it's going to have a significant impact in oncology care. But I'm not sure it's going to be immediate.
Part of that is really the 10% pricing strategy that they came out with. I think it's safe to say that most providers and health system perspectives are hoping and anticipating at least a 15% to 30% discount based off of the originator biologic, which is what we've seen pretty consistently with other biosimilars.
So the 10% is hard to gauge because what you have to think about from a health system perspective is there is a significant cost of change. So for any new therapeutic, when you evaluate a drug for a [pharmacy and therapeutics, P and T] committee, and it becomes approved, there's a whole downstream effect of how to make it implemented within the health system.
So that includes IT updates to order sets, procurement and storage considerations, administration considerations, and then of course, the finance piece of doing prior authorizations and making sure the products are covered. So there's a whole downstream effect that becomes the cost of change that needs to be considered.
I don't think the 10% is going to be received with excitement from the provider lens, but I think it's going be interesting to see when additional competitors come to the market in this space, what that impact will be.
The Next Frontier: Oncology Biosimilars in 2025 and Beyond
January 13th 2025The US oncology biosimilar market has rapidly evolved since its launch in 2017, driven by steep price discounts, payer adoption, and provider confidence, with an upcoming wave of biosimilars targeting blockbuster biologics promising further market growth, cost savings, and broader patient access.
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.
How Vertical Integration Drives Innovation and Access in Biosimilars
December 27th 2024Elie Bahou, PharmD, highlights how vertical integration in the biosimilar industry streamlines costs, improves supply reliability, accelerates market adoption, and enhances patient access, while emphasizing the value of collaboration, quality control, and value-based contracts for sustainable health care delivery.
Biosimilars Oncology Roundup for June 2024—Podcast Edition
July 7th 2024On this episode of Not So Different, we review biosimilar news coming out of June, with clinical trial results from conferences and a study showcasing how to overcome economic and noneconomic barriers to oncology biosimilars.
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.
