Canada’s British Columbia to switch patients to biosimilars

INICIO/Políticas y legislación | Posted 21/06/2019 post-comment0 Post your comment

British Columbia has become the first Canadian province to stop coverage of originator biologicals and switch patients to biosimilars for certain indications.

Switching V19A17

The new policy will apply to the approximately 20,400 British Columbians living with either ankylosing spondylitis, diabetes, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. These patients will have six months – until 25 November 2019 – to switch from the originator biological to the biosimilar. After that time, the province’s healthcare system, PharmaCare, will no longer provide coverage for the originator biologicals for these indications, except for exceptional cases.

Rheumatology patients currently using the originator biological Enbrel will be switched to the etanercept biosimilar Brenzys or Erelzi, which were approved in Canada in August 2016 and 2017, respectively [1].

Dermatology, rheumatology and gastrointestinal patients currently using the originator biological Remicade to the infliximab biosimilar Inflectra or Renflexis, which were approved in Canada in January 2014 and March 2018, respectively [1].

Endocrinology patients will be switched from originator biological Lantus to the insulin glargine biosimilar Basaglar, which was approved in February 2017 [1].

Despite the approval of many biosimilars in Canada, the country has a very low rate of uptake. In fact, Inflectra and Remsima have only a combined 5%−10% use rate in Canada after four years on the market, compared to Norway (98%) and the UK (90%). According to Minister of Health, Adrian Dix, this resulted in Canada spending over CA$1.1 billion on the originator biological, Remicade, in 2017.

In light of the low rate of uptake of biosimilars in the country, British Columbia has introduced the new policy as a means to reduce healthcare expenses in the province. In 2018, British Columbia spent CA$125 million on Lantus (insulin glargine), Enbrel (etanercept) and Remicade (infliximab), three biologicals that treat chronic conditions such as diabetes, arthritis and Crohn’s disease.

The move will, according to the British Columbian Government, improve ‘the sustainability of its PharmaCare program by expanding the use of biosimilars’. This in turn ‘will create opportunities for new drug listings and boost existing coverage for patients’.

Biosimilars Canada, a national association representing Canada's biosimilar medicines industry, congratulated the British Columbian Government, in its ‘leadership in promoting and expanding the use of biosimilar medicines’. They added that ‘uptake of these medicines in Canada for chronic treatments has been much slower [than Europe] as public and private payers have not actively implemented policy levers to support their use beyond naïve or new patients’.

Related article
Canadian organizations collaborate to improve biosimilar adoption in cancer and inflammatory rheumatic and bowel disease

Reference
1. GaBI Online - Generics and Biosimilars Initiative. Biosimilars approved in Canada [www.gabionline.net]. Mol, Belgium: Pro Pharma Communications International; [cited 2019 Jun 21]. Available from: www.gabionline.net/Biosimilars/General/Biosimilars-approved-in-Canada

Permission granted to reproduce for personal and non-commercial use only. All other reproduction, copy or reprinting of all or part of any ‘Content’ found on this website is strictly prohibited without the prior consent of the publisher. Contact the publisher to obtain permission before redistributing.

Copyright – Unless otherwise stated all contents of this website are © 2019 Pro Pharma Communications International. All Rights Reserved.

Source: BC Gov, Biosimilars Canada

comment icon Comments (0)
Post your comment
Related content
Consulta pública para la modificación de la regulación de biosimilares
02 AA010638
INICIO/Políticas y legislación Posted 16/01/2024
COFEPRIS promueve la cooperación regulatoria en América
Latin America 1638px
INICIO/Políticas y legislación Posted 12/12/2023
Pendiente la decisión de ANVISA sobre las ‘skinny labels’ para genéricos
Labelling V14I26
INICIO/Políticas y legislación Posted 14/11/2023
Most viewed articles
Sobre GaBI
INICIO/Sobre GaBI Posted 06/08/2009
EU guidelines for biosimilars
EMA logo 1 V13C15
INICIO/Directrices Posted 08/10/2010