Biosimilars: Bringing Patients into the Conversation

There ’s no doubt that the cheaper cost of biosimilars versus their originator biologic, even though not as substantial as generics, make them very attractive to healthcare markets. But so far, biosimilar manufacturers have dedicated most of their efforts to convincing payers of thesecost benefits, seeing them as the primary gatekeeper of market access. However, by focusing just on payers, are they missing a trick? In the longer-term, manufacturers could benefit from educating and winning over a wider audience, and not justphysicians, but also patients.Cheaper prices should lead to greater access to biologic therapy, especially at the early stages of disease.   The high cost of these drugs is one reason that patients often wait a significant amount of time before they can be considered for biologic treatment, during which time their disease has often irreversibly progressed. Raising awareness of biosimilar treatment amongst patients would likely result in more conversations between doctor and patient and could ultimately result in more demand for biosimilars as an equally efficacious yet more cost-effective option.Findings from recent research conducted by Research Partnership among  patients living with rheumatoid arthritis, reveals that awareness is currently very low. Only 18% of patients in the US and 11% of patients in the EU have even heard of biosimilars. Unsurprisingly, most of those who are aware are patients who are currently receiving a biologic;  if patients ...
Source: EyeForPharma - Category: Pharmaceuticals Authors: Source Type: news