Focus Rheums| Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? (video)

An official publication of the ACR and the ARP serving rheumatologists and rheumatology professionals

EULAR 2014: Biosimilar Drug Production Raises Concerns

  |  Issue: August 2014  |  

However, he thinks that biosimilars will “not significantly” change the landscape of health economics.

Asked whether the costs alone should drive such an analysis, since biosimilars are based on therapies with prior approval, Dr. Severens said the evidence on biosimilars is not yet conclusive enough to allow that.

ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“Only when we are very, very sure about short-term outcome and long-term outcome can we stick to what we call cost-minimization analysis,” or strictly focusing on costs, he said.

Thomas R. Collins is a freelance medical writer based in Florida.

ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Related Articles
    Biosimilars Debate Heats up over Cost Savings, Safety Concerns

    Biosimilars Debate Heats up over Cost Savings, Safety Concerns

    After years of speculation about potential cost savings and debates on safety, biosimilars are about to step onto the stage of rheumatic disease treatment. On Feb. 9, the Arthritis Advisory Committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) met in Washington, D.C., and recommended the approval of CT-P13, a proposed biosimilar to infliximab (Remicade),…

    Report on EU’s Experience with Biosimilar Drugs Released: Will U.S. Experience Be Similar?

    As questions about biosimilar medications swirl among U.S. rheumatologists, a recently released report sheds some light on the European experience with biosimilars—and may offer some important insights for the U.S. market. The report, Biosimilars in the EU: Information Guide for Healthcare Professionals, was released in late April by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the…

    Possible Impact of Biosimilar Infliximab on U.S. Market in Prescriptions, Pricing

    The use of biosimilars for rheuma­tology in the U.S. became a reality when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Inflectra (infliximab-dyyb), a biosimilar to Remicade (infliximab), in April. What this may mean is increased competition among drug companies with regard to pricing and, therefore, potentially lower costs for U.S. patients, according to Seoyoung…