Celebrating Canada's Global Leadership In Access To Biosimilars

Toronto, ON /CNW/ - With Ontario, Newfoundland & Labrador and the Yukon each implementing new policies over the past few days, nearly 96% of Canadians now live in jurisdictions with expanded access to biosimilars.

The Canadian Biosimilars Forum congratulates the incredible alliance of policymakers, clinicians, patient advocates and researchers who have worked tirelessly across the country to achieve this milestone, and whose collective effort has positioned Canada as one of the world's biosimilar leaders.

"Led by British Columbia, Canadian provinces should be commended for designing and deploying impactful policies to expand access to biosimilars across the country." - Karine Matteau, Forum board member and Vice-President, Customer Engagement at Sandoz Canada.

Since 2019, government after government across Canada has adopted visionary policies to increase the use of biosimilars. The result? More patients are receiving more access to more transformative medicines used to treat more diseases – and at a significantly lower cost to public healthcare systems across Canada.

"Biosimilars are used every day to treat thousands of patients with cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and other diseases. Better access to biosimilars means more sustainable care for Canadian patients now and in the future." - Jeffrey Malawski, Forum board member and Executive Director, External Affairs & Patient Support Programs at Organon Canada.

Through this pan-Canadian collaboration, hundreds of Millions of Dollars in system savings will be generated across the country each year – savings that can be reinvested to support accelerated access to the innovative new medicines so important to the health of patients across the country. And with new biosimilars expected in the years to come, continued focus on ensuring Canada remains an attractive destination for biosimilar launches creates exciting prospects for more savings.

"Biosimilars deliver the same safety, quality and efficacy as their originator counterparts. These products have already delivered huge value to Canadian patients and physicians – and those benefits will only rise in the years to come." – Farah Jivraj, Forum board member and Head, Market Access, Policy and Stakeholder Relations at Biogen Canada.

As a result of incredible innovation in the pharmaceutical sector, spending on biologics has tripled in Canada in the last 10 years, and now accounts for over one-third of total pharmaceutical costs. As patents for these innovative drugs expire, Canadian health system leaders have taken decisive action to not only manage those rising costs, but also secure the resources required to bring new therapies to the patients who need them.

"Canadian patients deserve accelerated access to the most innovative medicines in the world. Leveraging the savings generated by biosimilars is an ideal way to support that access." - Frederic Lavoie, Inflammation and Immunology Business Lead at Pfizer Canada and Chair of the Canadian Biosimilars Forum.

The Canadian Biosimilars Forum commends governments across Canada for taking consistent and coordinated action to design and deliver world-leading public policies. Biosimilars offer a game-changing combination of clinical excellence and affordability, and the Forum is proud to have played a collaborative role in helping to expand their uptake across the country. We look forward to working with partners, allies and advocates over the coming months to strengthen Canada's biosimilars market and ensure the country continues to maximize the benefit of these extraordinary medicines.

About The Canadian Biosimilars Forum
The Forum is an alliance of four companies who have come together to maximize the positive impact of biosimilars on patients, on clinicians and on the sustainability of Ontario's health system. The Forum today encompasses Biogen Canada, Organon Canada, Pfizer Canada, and Sandoz Canada, who together represent the breadth of the Canadian biosimilars industry.

For more information, visit https://www.canadianbiosimilarsforum.ca/.