Jackie Syrop

August 30, 2017

A retrospective study using a large US claims database of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis suggests that extensive above-label use of etanercept, adalimumab, and ustekinumab occurs in many patients who take these biologics, and leads to higher costs.

August 29, 2017

Treatment strategies involving anti-tumor necrosis factor dose tapering or withdrawal among rheumatoid arthritis patients who are achieving disease control are gaining popularity. Such strategies seek to optimize benefits versus risks with respect to both patient preferences and the high costs of biologic treatments.

August 28, 2017

Cost-effectiveness evidence has come to play a prominent role in decisions regarding the approval of expensive biologic treatments, such as those for psoriatic arthritis (PA). However, cost-effectiveness evidence for PA treatments has been difficult to develop because of the lack of a robust evidence base.

August 25, 2017

Providing prophylactic treatment with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor to patients receiving chemotherapy may yield better chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, febrile neutropenia, and related hospitalization outcomes if patients receive prophylaxis at levels above guideline recommendations, according to a recent study.

August 18, 2017

Recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), filgrastim, and its long-acting pegylated form, pegfilgrastim, are widely used to reduce the risk of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, but to date, no pegfilgrastim biosimilar has been approved in highly regulated markets such as Europe, Japan, and the United States.

August 17, 2017

Treatment guidelines for ovarian and cervical cancer recommend the use of the angiogenesis inhibitor bevacizumab (Avastin), but patient access to this medication and other angiogenesis inhibitors is limited.

August 16, 2017

A phase 1 trial of ABP 980, Amgen’s proposed biosimilar of reference trastuzumab (Herceptin), demonstrated ABP 980’s pharmacokinetic similarity to both US-approved reference trastuzumab and European Union-approved reference trastuzumab. Amgen and Allergan have submitted applications for approval of ABP 980 with both the FDA and the European Medicines Agency.

August 15, 2017

A recent Spanish study concludes that CT-P13, a biosimilar of reference infliximab that has been approved in Korea, the European Union, and the United States, is efficacious and well tolerated in patients with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC).

August 14, 2017

In 2014, Germany had the highest use of biosimilars in Europe, with around 50% volume uptake. Yet data found that German patients have shown some reluctance to accept biosimilars.

August 12, 2017

The Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health reviewed the clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and advice from guidelines concerning switching from innovator to biosimilar infliximab for the treatment of several autoimmune diseases: rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, plaque psoriasis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and psoriatic arthritis.