Biosimilars

When converting a patient to a biosimilar, having clear and consistent messaging will reduce confusion and prevent patients from having a lack of trust in the process, said Paul Forsberg, PharmD, director of pharmacy, Minnesota Oncology.

Sonia T. Oskouei, PharmD, BCMAS, DPLA, navigates the impact of the VOLTAIRE-X study, the only published switching study for adalimumab, on biosimilar uptake.

With 6 pegfilgrastim biosimilars approved, and multiple administration options, a patient-centric model of pegfilgrastim administration should be possible for patients with cancer who require prophylaxis of febrile neutropenia.

The authors evaluate the effect and safety of biosimilar trastuzumab MYL-1401O in human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)–positive early-stage (neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy) and metastatic (palliative therapy) breast cancer using real-world data.

While commercial payers have been engaged with the shift to biosimilars, they all have their own preferred biosimilar, which makes it challenging for practices, explained Lalan Wilfong, MD, vice president of payer relations & practice transformation at The US Oncology Network.

In 2021, the specialty drug trend rebounded from the pandemic, and it is expected to stay strong with more specialty drugs coming. Increased availability of biosimilars could shift this trend.

While initially there was a need for education around biosimilars, now there is a need to keep an eye on the evolving biosimilar marketplace and update the formulary of biosimilar medicines, said Paul Forsberg, PharmD, director of pharmacy, Minnesota Oncology.

The 1-year gap after the end of the Oncology Care Model (OCM) means some practices have to make hard decisions regarding cost of care or the financial health of the practice, explained Lalan Wilfong, MD, vice president of Payer Relations & Practice Transformation at The US Oncology Network.

Having a biosimilar on formulary makes it more likely the biosimilar will be adopted. Length of time a biosimilar is on market can impact how likely it is to be added to formulary.

The FDA approved the first high-concentration adalimumab biosimilar. A low-concentration version of the biosimilar, Hadlima, was already approved. Both versions will launch in July 2023.

On this episode of Managed Care Cast, Ryan Haumschild, PharmD, MS, MBA, from Emory Healthcare and the Winship Cancer Institute, explains the evolution of biosimilar pharmacoeconomics and the different strategies that health care institutions can implement to reap the benefits of biosimilar savings.

A number of psychologic interventions were assessed to see if they could have an effect on patient confidence in biosimilars to treat psoriasis.

The single-center study evaluated patients across multiple cancers to understand the utilization, safety, and financial outcomes of bevacizumab-awwb vs reference bevavizumab.

Although there is a paucity of data of switching among biosimilars of the same reference product, the few studies published support the safety and effectiveness of transitioning patients from one biosimilar to another.

The budget allocates half of the money for the development of low-cost interchangeable insulin biosimilars and the other half for building an insulin manufacturing facility in the state.

During its annual conference in Spain, Medicines for Europe shared recommendations for greater use of off-patent medications, such as biosimilars and generics, as a way ensure medicines remain available to patients in light of global events and supply chain issues.

Until recently, ophthalmologists in the United States have had no experience with biosimilars, despite the availability of biosimilars for bevacizumab, which is commonly used off label for ophthalmic conditions.

The study of postmenopausal women in Iran found the efficacy of the biosimilar was noninferior to the reference product and the safety was comparable after 18 months.

A survey of patients with breast cancer and oncologists found that when switching to a trastuzumab biosimilar from the reference product (Herceptin), many patients were not given adequate information on what biosimilars are and their benefits.

The oncology space has seen successful adoption of biosimilars thanks to processes and formulary decisions driving conversion rates.

Abstracts presented at the 2022 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting show bevacizumab-awwb to be safe and effective for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) with high overall survival rates.

Advanced practitioners (APs) have a role to play in strategies for integrating biosimilars into clinical practice.

Among a real-world cohort of patients, switching between infliximab biosimilars was effective and well tolerated, although retention was higher among those who had initially started on the originator product.

Abstracts presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting evaluated biosimilar use in practices participating in the Oncology Care Model (OCM) and estimated the savings as a result of substituting these agents for more expensive reference products.

As part of the Biosimilars Initiative, British Columbia, Canada, implemented a mandatory switch to biosimilar insulin glargine for patients covered by the province’s drug plan.