USA – Studies find uneven uptake of biosimilars as availability increases

As biosimilars become increasingly available, they are creating a competitive market with originator products, but uptake of biosimilars among patients is varied and depends on factors like patient demographics, geography, site of care, prescriber specialty, and insurance type, according to two recent studies published in the journal Health Affairs.

Molly Beinfeld, of Tufts University, told Regulatory Focus in an interview that she and her colleagues are “somewhat optimistic” about the biosimilar market.

“Seven years of data tells us that biosimilars are gaining market share, net prices are declining, payers are prioritizing biosimilars and the biologics market is competitive,” she said.

In their study, Beinfeld and colleagues evaluated seven originator products and 20 biosimilars, using data from the Tufts Medical Center Specialty Drug Evidence and Coverage Database to identify coverage, US commercial payers claims data from the IQVIA Longitudinal Access and Adjudicated Data Set for analyzing market share, and data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to examine average sales price quarterly payment from 2017-2022.

More information on the Regulatory Focus Website.