Biosimilars/Research

US cancer researcher calls for additional biosimilar trials

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 02/12/2011

One of the leading cancer researchers in the US has called for biosimilars manufacturers to undertake additional research. In an interview with The ASCO Post, Professor Mark Pegram, MD, Professor of Medicine and Associate Director for Clinical Research, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Health System, Florida, USA, said, ‘Oncologists will be concerned about the safety of biosimilars. They will want to ensure that the chemistry, manufacturing, and composition are on par with the labelled product.’

US biosimilars: many barriers to overcome

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 18/11/2011

EMA has been successful in devising a system for authorising the marketing of biosimilar products and 14 biosimilars are currently on the market in the major countries of the EU [1]. Generally, biosimilars are priced about 30% less than the originator product. This seems to be sufficient to gain significant (~ 30%) market share in a year or two though it keeps biosimilars very expensive. This is in dramatic contrast to the situation in America. In 2010 the ‘biosimilars statute’ (BLA) eventually came into force as the result of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The proposed rule involves two particularly onerous requirements that the EU process avoids.

The first is the question of degree of similarity.

Can biosimilar manufacturers learn from generic substitution issues

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 04/11/2011

The substitution of generic prescription medicines for branded medicines is practiced in most Westernised countries, mainly because of its clear economic benefits. Patient experiences of generic substitution are mixed however, with many patients left confused or suspicious [1]. Given that a number of second-generation biosimilar compounds are expected to be approved within the next few years, and that biosimilar manufacturing costs are much higher than those of a simple generic, it is crucial for biosimilar manufacturers to avoid the uncertainty and mistrust that often accompanies generic substitution. Several recommendations have been made to help ensure that substitution pathways are streamlined and successful [1] but can any of these recommendations be applied to biosimilars?

US biosimilars: a report on FDA progress

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 04/11/2011

This article reviews the steps being taken by FDA to implement the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation (BPCI) Act of 2009, enshrined in law in 2010 as the ‘biosimilars statute’.

Development of biosimilars is not an easy matter

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 28/10/2011

By 2020 biological products with sales of around US$23 billion in the EU and US$29 billion in the US will be exposed to biosimilar competition [1]. As more and more biologicals lose their patent protection, it is no wonder that Big Pharma, the biotechnology industry and generics manufacturers, as well as regulatory agencies, are becoming increasingly interested in biosimilars [2].

US biosimilars law may prove a barrier to entry for biosimilars

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 23/09/2011

One of the main barriers to biosimilar entry in the US is the US biosimilars law [1]. While some have questioned whether the biosimilars pathway in the US will ever be used [2, 3], others believe that, although flawed, the US biosimilars pathway is likely to become a functioning legal pathway [4].

Brand-name statins costing healthcare system US$6.7 billion

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 21/10/2011

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, USA, found that physicians prescribing unnecessary treatments or diagnostic tests, spanning a broad range of clinical conditions, costs the US healthcare system an extra US$6.7 billion annually. The findings, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, attributed prescribing of brand-name statins instead of generic statins as accounting for most of the excess cost [1].

Biotech pipeline and biosimilars

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 14/10/2011

There are more than 200 new biotechnology products in the pipeline (phase II to registered), all of which could be future targets for biosimilars. However, around 60% of these products concern mechanisms of action that are already available, see Figure 1 [1].

Biosimilars or biobetters–what does the future hold

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 14/10/2011

Biosuperiors or biobetters are improvements to originator biological molecules, whereas biosimilars are structural imitations of the originator. But how will the pharma industry choose to pursue this lucrative market and benefit from patent expirations on biologicals? Will biobetters or biosimilars be the winners?

How profitable will biosimilars be

Biosimilars/Research | Posted 07/10/2011

The profitability of biosimilars remains an open question. Five years after launch it is thought that most biosimilars markets will look similar to generics markets (70% penetration, 25% of brand-name drug price) but also that a ‘brand-like’ market with lower price attrition and market share is possible [1].