Practice

Anti-CD20 Agents Provide New Therapeutic Approaches to Neurological Diseases

June 21st 2018

By Kelly Davio

During the fourth congress of the European Academy of Neurology, held in Lisbon, Portugal, from June 16 to 19, researchers presented on the roles of both existing and investigational anti-CD20 drugs in treating neurological diseases.

Neurological Complications of Anti-TNF Agents Are Rare, but Most Common With Infliximab

June 20th 2018

By The Center for Biosimilars Staff

Anti–tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents, widely used in rheumatology and gastroenterology, carry some safety risks. While the risk of infection or malignancy are common concerns, neurological complications, while rare, are also possible.

Switching Between Reference Infliximab and CT-P13 Is Unlikely to Evoke Different ADAs

June 19th 2018

By Kelly Davio

A new study, published in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, sought to test antigenic comparability between the reference infliximab and the biosimilar.

Spanish Study: Switching to Biosimilar Infliximab in IBD Is Safe, Effective at 12 Months

June 18th 2018

By Kelly Davio

Researchers from Spain, where biosimilar use is encouraged as a way to save on costs and expand access to biologic therapies, recently reported on a multicenter prospective observational study in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) who switched from reference infliximab to a biosimilar, CT-P13 (Inflectra, Remsima).

Low-Dose Biosimilar Rituximab Is Effective in Treating RA

June 17th 2018

By Kelly Davio

Rituximab has previously been shown to be effective at doses of 1000 mg in treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who had previously received other biologic agents. Research presented at the European League Against Rheumatism's Annual European Congress of Rheumatology demonstrates that using lower doses of biosimilar rituximab—which may provide a substantial cost savings—is also effective.

Three Studies Document Switches to Biosimilar Etanercept

June 15th 2018

By Kelly Davio

At the European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, researchers presented findings on 3 studies in which patients switched to a biosimilar etanercept molecule from the reference Enbrel.

ACR Stresses Pharmacovigilance and Postmarket Monitoring in the Biosimilar Era

June 15th 2018

By Samantha DiGrande

This week, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) released a new position statement on the importance of pharmacovigilance and the critical need to continue monitoring new drugs after they reach the market.

The Top 5 Biosimilars Articles for the Week of June 11

June 15th 2018

The Center for Biosimilars® recaps the top 5 articles for the week of June 11, 2018.

Researchers Report on Infliximab Biosimilars BCD-055 and CT-P13

June 14th 2018

By Kelly Davio

At the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR)'s Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, held from June 13-16 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, researchers reported on Biocad’s Russian-authorized biosimilar infliximab, BCD-055, and on switches to the widely approved infliximab biosimilar CT-P13 (Inflectra, Remsima).

European Study: Patients Remain on Ineffective RA Treatment for Too Long

June 12th 2018

By The Center for Biosimilars Staff

If European League Against Rheumatism guidelines are followed, when a patient with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) does not reach remission or a state of low disease activity after 6 months of treatment, then the patient’s treatment should be modified regardless of the drug therapy being used (biologic or small molecule).