Practice

UK Hospital Reports Slightly Uneven Results of Rituximab Switch

July 9th 2019

By Allison Inserro

The experience of one hospital in the United Kingdom of switching patients to a rituximab biosimilar was described in a recent conference abstract, with the process of switching not going as well as it had previously for patients using infliximab and etanercept.

In Treating RA Pain, Could JAK Agents Beat Adalimumab?

July 6th 2019

By The Center for Biosimilars Staff

Article

A recently published study used data from the RA-BEAM trial to assess what proportion of treated patients achieve pain relief and in what time frame, and found that an oral small-molecule Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor may have some advantages over adalimumab (Humira) when it comes to reducing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pain.

HannaH Trial Results Show Comparability of Subcutaneous, Intravenous Trastuzumab

July 5th 2019

By Kelly Davio

Article

The subcutaneously administered trastuzumab contains the same monoclonal antibody as the intravenous formulation at a dose of 600 mg per 5-mL vial, plus a recombinant human hyaluronidase, to be used every 3 weeks. The hyaluronidase is used to increase the permeability of the extracellular matrix, allowing for administration of higher volumes and enhanced absorption of the drug.

The Model for Acquiring Oncology Drugs Must Change, Say Kaiser Permanente Experts

July 3rd 2019

By The Center for Biosimilars Staff

Article

Under the approach used by Kaiser Permanente, say the authors, in which oncologists have salaried incomes and are not reimbursed on a relationship to drug price, far higher generic uptake has been observed.

In Switching to Biosimilar Infliximab in IBD, Rapid Infusion Protocols Are Safe

July 2nd 2019

By Kelly Davio

Article

As more centers begin to switch patients from reference infliximab to biosimilar options, patients who have benefitted from rapid infusions of the reference product may want to continue to receive time-saving infusions that reduce the burden of lengthy visits to infusion centers.

Transplant-Specific Outcomes Similar for Patients Treated With Biosimilar, Reference Filgrastim for Stem Cell Mobilization

June 30th 2019

By Kelly Davio

Article

Starting in 2017, the Henry Ford Cancer Institute started using follow-on filgrastim (tbo-filgrastim, a product approved prior to the establishment of the biosimilar approval pathway in the United States) and biosimilar filgrastim (Zarxio) in stem cell mobilization prior to transplant.

European Nurses Boost Biosimilar Education With Newly Translated Guide to Switching

June 29th 2019

By The Center for Biosimilars Staff

Article

The European Specialist Nurses Organisation has launched 7 new translations of its guide to the management of switches between reference biologics and biosimilars.

Biosimilar Oncology Roundup: June 2019

June 28th 2019

By Kelly Davio

Article

June 2019 was a busy month for oncology biosimilars, in both the supportive care and anticancer contexts, with regulatory activity and the presentation of reassuring new data.

Real-World Evidence Shows Switching Among ESAs in CKD Is Not Associated With Risks to Safety, Efficacy

June 24th 2019

By Kelly Davio

Article

No statistically significant risk in terms of lack of effectiveness or safety was found for patients who switched therapies versus those who remained on their first therapy in either the reference group or the biosimilar group.

Real-World Data Reaffirm Biosimilar Filgrastim's Safety and Efficacy

June 19th 2019

By Kelly Davio

Article

During the 24th European Hematology Association (EHA) Congress, researchers from the European branch of the Severe Chronic Neutropenia International Registry reported on experience with reference granulocyte colony-stimulating factor products and a biosimilar.