20 Jun 2022 Biosimilar switching impact
Following recent patent expirations of originator biologics, their more affordable biosimilar versions became available. Switching patients from originator to its biosimilar as part of routine clinical practice may result in significant public and private drug cost savings.
The government of British Columbia, through the BC Biosimilars Initiative, implemented mandatory switching of some patient populations on originator drugs to biosimilars in 2019. Patients in the PharmaCare prescription coverage plan receiving certain reference drugs are being switched to available biosimilars. New Brunswick, Alberta, and Quebec all have mandatory biosimilar switching programs in place, as well.
Researchers who are part of the PharmacoEpidemiology Group of the UBC Therapeutics Initiative monitored the impact of mandatory nonmedical switching from originator to biosimilar drugs in British Columbia.
In one recent study, researchers with the UBC Therapeutics Initiative monitored for early changes in health services utilization after a mandatory policy to switch patients from originator to biosimilar insulin glargine. They observed marginal changes in health services utilization without detecting signals of negative health impacts on patients targeted by the British Columbia policy of mandatory switching from originator to biosimilar insulin glargine. Their findings were recently published in Clinical Therapeutics. Read more…
In another study, researchers with the UBC Therapeutics Initiative followed 4 cohorts of patients on the originator etanercept who were switched to biosimilars. “We did not find permanent unintended changes in health services utilization, which suggests that switching to the biosimilar etanercept had minimal impacts on patient health” the authors concluded. “Additional research on clinical outcomes is recommended to strengthen the evidence that no long-term unintended negative health impacts are associated with switching from originator etanercept to its biosimilars.” Read more…
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