The Amgen survey of 40 different payers was conducted to understand perceptions of biosimilars, incorporation of biosimilars into payer coverage policies, and how manufacturers of biologicals, including biosimilars, are perceived as sources of reputable information on the subject of biosimilars.

Payers included in the survey were located across the US and included 10 National Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), 10 Regional Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), 5 Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), 5 Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs), 5 Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), 3 Benefit Consultants (BCs) and 2 Veterans Affairs (VA) sites.

In addition, the data from the survey was supplemented by analyses of IMS MIDAS data plus a comprehensive literature review, featuring recent prominent peer-reviewed journal articles, research reports and white papers, which featured discussions and debates on the entry of biosimilars and their expected impact on the US biologicals market.

The US Food and Drug Administration has to date approved two biosimilars: Inflectra (infliximab- dyyb) and Zarxio (filgrastim-sndz). The agency has also approved a follow-on insulin product using an abbreviated pathway – Basaglar (insulin glargine); this product was approved as a biosimilar in Europe, but in the US the lack of a ‘reference product’ means that this cannot be defined as a biosimilar [1].

Some of the results of the survey discussing payer perceptions of biosimilars, payer readiness for biosimilars and payer expectations of price and access as central value drivers for biosimilars are presented in more detail in the three related articles.

Related articles
Price/access expected to be major drivers for biosimilars uptake

Payers in US getting ready for biosimilars

Payers in US view biosimilars as a lower-cost branded option

Reference
1. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. Biosimilars approved in the US [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2016 May 13]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/Biosimilars/General/Biosimilars-approved-in-the-US

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