The cost savings of biosimilars can help increase patient access and lift the financial burden of health care systems

• Published in: Seminars in arthritis and rheumatism Vol. 52; p. 151939
• Main Authors: Kvien, Tore K., Patel, Kashyap, Strand, Vibeke
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.02.2022
• Subjects: Biologic; Biosimilar; Biosimilar approval process; Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals - therapeutic use; Cost of care; Cost Savings; Delivery of Health Care; Drug Approval; Financial Stress; Humans; Inflammatory arthritis; Patient access; United States; United States; Biosimilar approval process; Biologic; Patient access; Inflammatory arthritis; Biosimilar; Cost of care
• ISSN: 0049-0172; 1532-866X; 1532-866X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2021.11.009

•Biosimilars offer significant costs savings to patients and health care systems.•Biosimilars undergo rigorous testing in order to earn approval.•The EU has had greater success than the US in approving biosimilars.•There are several obstacles to US uptake of biosimilars. Biologics have provided improved clinical benefits to patients, but they come at a huge expense due to the high costs associated with their development and manufacturing. Biosimilars, which have been clinically studied and have demonstrated to be efficacious and safe, are more cost-effective versions of biologics, however, their uptake has been slow in the United States (US) compared to in the European Union (EU). In this analysis, we review the challenges to increased biosimilar use in the US and the successful strategies employed to increase biosimilar uptake in the EU. Greater utilization of biosimilars in the US is an achievable goal but the federal government, pharmaceutical companies, and medical associations/institutions will need to work together to address patient and physician concerns and to remove incentives for using more expensive treatment options.