Biosimilars

Results from a survey of cancer centers revealed that 66% of responding institutions had a biosimilar interchangeability policy in place, but barriers to adoption remain an issue.

One-year follow-up data from a phase 3 study found similar duration of response, time to progression (TTP), and survival rates with the biosimilar candidate CT-P16 compared with its reference drug, bevacizumab (Avastin), in the first-line treatment of patients with metastatic or recurrent nonsquamous non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Providers participating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS’) value-based payment (VBP) models may realize a reduction in financial risk via biosimilar substitution.

A survey of US physicians who prescribe biologics to their patients revealed that 92% were confident in the safety and efficacy of biosimilars, 89% would prescribe a biosimilar to a new patient, and 80% were comfortable initiating the switching of patients who are stable on their current biologic medication to a biosimilar. However, the majority of respondents indicated that they were not comfortable with third-party substitution for nonmedical reasons, and felt that they, along with their patients, should have control over treatment choice. Results of this survey were discussed by Ralph McKibbin, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF, Chairman of the Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines, in a poster presentation during the Drug Information Association 2022 Global Annual Meeting.

The increased use of biosimilars within the US Oncology Network generated more than $6 million of savings in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Oncology Care Model (OCM) during the first half of 2020.

Adoption of biosimilars continues to rise in the United States, but oncologists’ knowledge regarding these agents has not kept pace, according to data presented at the virtual 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Quality Care Symposium.

The development of biosimilar medicines has provided an opportunity for patient utilization of oncology treatments at a lower cost, particularly in individuals for whom biologicals play a predominant role in providing effective therapeutic and supportive care.

Rapid adoption of FDA-approved biosimilars is feasible, measurable, and scalable—and pharmacists should lead the charge, according to data presented at the virtual 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology Quality Care Symposium.

Biosimilars have the potential to create a more sustainable healthcare environment by offering substantial cost-savings and expanding patient access to lifesaving therapies. At the ASCO 2021 virtual annual meeting, Lalan S. Wilfong, MD, Executive Vice President, Value-Based Care and Quality Programs, and Medical Oncologist/Hematologist, Texas Oncology, Presbyterian Cancer Center Dallas, TX, discussed how a community practice model for therapeutic interchange of brand drugs to biosimilars led to a significant increase in utilization of biosimilars and substantial cost-savings over the course of a single year at his institution.

San Francisco, CA—An increasing number of biosimilars have been approved in the United States, but many clinicians are still poorly informed about what constitutes a biosimilar, and what is involved in their unique pathway to approval, said Andrew D. Zelenetz, MD, PhD, Medical Oncologist, Division of Hematologic Malignancies, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York City. He discussed this topic at the NCCN 2019 Hematologic Malignancies meeting.