In lieu of the slow development of the U.S. biosimilar market, the FDA has stepped up to determine how it can improve biosimilar education, regulation, and market access. As many of the industry comments to the Biosimilar Action Plan revealed, this will require the FDA to continue broadening its purview and refining the regulatory pathway by implementing several specific actions.
In this article, I’ll discuss the importance of one commonly overlooked expert and highlight one recent educational initiative that exemplifies current needs in biosimilar communication strategies.
Though it’s much too early to say for sure, we will need to watch how this formulary impacts the brand vs. biosimilar landscape, and, in turn, the performance of biosimilars in the pharmacy reimbursement space.
One employer group expert provides a good look at the current relationships between employers and those assisting them with their healthcare decisions, as well as how the Pacific Business Group on Health, has set out to create a biosimilar educational and market push initiative.
In addition to learning about the biosimilar-related activities National Alliance of Healthcare Purchasers Coalition has implemented recently, I picked one expert's brain about which educational strategies would best reach employers during this age when the entire U.S. healthcare system is under the microscope.
Humira is said to have recently won a national tender in the EU thanks to a startling 80 percent discount to the pre-biosimilar price tag. However, as the dust clears from the initial news, things are less clear-cut than they may have appeared.
Rather than focusing on whether the market has a solid basis to survive, one expert presents some interesting perspectives on the need for a more measured perspective on the market’s financial growth, as well as on the current role of biosimilar competition and differentiation.
During our conversation, Kokino and I walked through the steps Mylan took to establish this foundation, as well as how the company’s overseas biosimilar experiences influenced its global — including the U.S. — biosimilar launch strategy.
I reached out to several employer groups around the country to learn how each is approaching biosimilars with its members. I also wanted to find out what employers might need from biosimilar companies moving forward. Matt Harman of Employers Health shares his perspective on employers' excitement level over biosimilars and what knowledge they need most.
I reached out to Biosimilar Development editorial board member Molly Burich of Boehringer Ingelheim for her input on the policies she expects could have the largest positive or negative impact on biosimilars, as well as what progress has been made on the policy front.
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