Practice

Biosimilar Etanercept Associated With Fewer Injection Site Reactions, Less Immunogenicity Than Reference Enbrel

January 16th 2018

By Samantha DiGrande

A recent research letter, published in the British Journal of Dermatology, reports that a biosimilar of etanercept, SB4 (approved as Benepali in the European Union and Brenzys in The Republic of Korea, Canada, and Australia), is associated with fewer injection-site reactions and less immunogenicity than reference etanercept (Enbrel), while maintaining equivalent efficacy.

Very Low-Dose Rituximab May Be Effective, Could Save Costs in Treating Non-Malignant Diseases

January 15th 2018

By Kelly Davio

Rituximab is approved for use in hematological malignancies and in rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but is also used off-label in the treatment of antibody-dependent auto-immunological diseases. In off-label indications, alternative dosing schedules are sometimes used, though no dose-finding trials are available to help guide dosing in such diseases.

Switching to Biologics With Different Mechanisms of Action Reduces Cost in Patients With RA

January 13th 2018

By Jackie Syrop

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who require a change in therapy from anti–tumor necrosis factor inhibitor (anti-TNF) treatments to biologics with a different mechanism of action (MOA) had higher treatment persistence and lower healthcare costs than patients who cycled anti-TNF drugs, resulting in lower healthcare costs per persistent patient among the MOA switchers, a recent study finds.

Addressing Primary Nonresponse to Infliximab in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

January 11th 2018

By Samantha DiGrande

In an editorial that was recently published in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, authors D. Sawbridge, MD, and S. Subramanian, MD, discussed how to mitigate primary nonresponse to infliximab.

Rituximab in Multiple Sclerosis: Better Efficacy, Lower Discontinuation Rates Than Other Treatments

January 11th 2018

By Jackie Syrop

Rituximab (Rituxan) is more effective and has lower rates of discontinuation than other disease-modifying treatments in newly diagnosed patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, according to a Swedish study published online in the January 8, 2018, issue of JAMA Neurology.

Intravitreal Bevacizumab Revolutionizing Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy

January 9th 2018

By Jackie Syrop

Intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (Avastin) has revolutionized the treatment of diabetic eye disease, and has emerged as an important treatment modality, either as primary or adjuvant therapy for diabetic macular edema and proliferative diabetic retinopathy.

Policy Differences Among European Nations Affect Biosimilar Uptake

January 5th 2018

By Kelly Davio

While the European experience with biosimilars is one of significant uptake of biosimilars, individual European nations have had distinctly different levels of uptake. These differences are largely due to local variation in pricing and reimbursement, education levels, population characteristics, and stakeholder incentives.

The Top 5 Biosimilars Articles for the Week of January 1

January 5th 2018

The Center for Biosimilars recaps the top 5 biosimilars articles for the week of January 1, 2018.

Study Demonstrates Real-World Safety, Effectiveness of Biosimilar Epoetin Alfa for Renal Anemia

January 4th 2018

By Jackie Syrop

Patients with renal anemia undergoing hemodialysis who were treated for up to 24 months with the intravenous biosimilar epoetin alfa HX575 (Binocrit) showed hemoglobin outcomes equivalent to reference epoetin alfa.

Study: Switching to Biosimilar Infliximab Does Not Affect Phosphorylation Levels

January 3rd 2018

By Kelly Davio

A new study used flow cytometry to compare phosphorylation levels of intracellular epitopes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with psoriasis in clinical remission who were treated with reference infliximab versus healthy controls, and further evaluated whether a switch from reference infliximab to biosimilar CT-P13 affected intracellular phosphorylation patterns.