Practice

Dutch Experience Demonstrates Effective Benchmarking of Biosimilar Use in Health Systems

August 31st 2019

By The Center for Biosimilars Staff

As medicines become more numerous and often more expensive, healthcare professionals seek new ways to understand which treatments are most likely to yield the best outcomes at sustainable costs.

Study Finds Aflibercept Noninferior to Ranibizumab in Macular Edema, Results With Bevacizumab Inconclusive

August 29th 2019

By Allison Inserro

Treating macular edema associated with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) with aflibercept was noninferior to ranibizumab treatment at 100 weeks, while the results for bevacizumab versus ranibizumab were inconclusive.

Data From 11 Head-to-Head Trials Underscore Safety, Efficacy of Biosimilar Rituximab Products

August 28th 2019

By Kelly Davio

A new paper published this month may help to allay some concerns that US providers may have about using FDA-approved biosimilar rituximab.

Japanese Study: CT-P13 Is Interchangeable With Remicade in Real-World IBD Treatment

August 27th 2019

By Kelly Davio

A Japanese postmarketing surveillance study of biosimilar infliximab CT-P13 (Inflectra, Remsima) concludes that the biosimilar and its reference, Remicade, are comparable in terms of efficacy and adverse drug reactions in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and that the biosimilar is a cost-efficient option that is interchangeable with the reference in real-world practice.

Reducing Adjuvant Chemotherapy Dose Too Early May Impact Breast Cancer Survival

August 26th 2019

By Allison Inserro

Early dose reductions in the adjuvant chemotherapy combination of 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin, cyclophosphamide, and docetaxel negatively impacted survival rates for patients with intermediate- or high-risk breast cancer.

Given On-Body Injector Failure With Pegfilgrastim, Biosimilar Filgrastim Offers Greatest Cost Efficiency

August 26th 2019

By Kelly Davio

Administering the brand-name pegfilgrastim (Neulasta) via an on-body injection device (sold as Onpro) carries some risk of device failure, resulting in a missed or partial dose of pegfilgrastim. A recent cost simulation found that, when taking this failure into account, assured prophylaxis with biosimilar filgrastim offers the greatest cost efficiency.

New Axial Spondyloarthritis Guideline Recommends Against Mandatory Switching to Biosimilars

August 26th 2019

By Kelly Davio

A more compelling rationale for switching medications—particularly in light of “marginal” cost savings provided by biosimilars in the United States—is necessary, says the guideline.

Ibrutinib, Rituximab for Patients With CLL Superior to Standard Chemoimmunotherapy

August 23rd 2019

By Allison Inserro

“These results will fully usher the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia [CLL] into a new era,” said Tait Shanafelt, MD, professor of medicine at Stanford. “It seems likely that, in the future, these patients will be able to forego chemotherapy altogether.”

Study of Denmark's Mandatory Etanercept Switch Finds No Obvious Changes in Healthcare Utilization, Costs

August 19th 2019

By Allison Inserro

Researchers examining the mandatory switch of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) from the originator etanercept (Enbrel) to the biosimilar etanercept (Benepali) found no changes in overall healthcare utilization or cost of healthcare following the switch.

The Top 5 Biosimilars Articles for the Week of August 12

August 16th 2019

The Center for Biosimilars® recaps the top stories for the week of August 12, 2019.