Video
Biosimilars in Rheumatology in 2023
Author(s):
Nehad Soloman, MD, discusses the impact of new biosimilars to become available in the U.S. in 2023 on rheumatic disease management.
Nehad Soloman, MD: With the advent of Humira® biosimilars coming out in 2023, there will be a great impact in the management of rheumatoid arthritis. We already have a lot of experience with biosimilars with the originator molecule being Remicade. And experientially we've seen payers push towards use of biosimilars. We've seen mandates of non-medical switching. I expect nothing different in the upcoming year, as multiple Humira® biosimilars are going to be launched simultaneously. And with the new efforts of the current administration looking to cut costs and help with inflationary increases, my guess would be a bigger push towards increased utilization of Humira® biosimilars.
As increased utilization of biosimilars has occurred already in the last several years and the expectation of more biosimilars to come out in 2023 biosimilar for Humira®, several of them now, it is my firm belief that we're going to disrupt the market in many ways. I know right now that there's some uncertainty amongst rheumatologists about non-medical switching. Certainly, for first-line use, it makes sense if they're biologic-naive but if they're stable on the originator molecule, it is my firm belief that they should stay on what's working for them because as the name states, they're biosimilar, not bioexact. Experientially, for some of our patients that have switched over from drugs like Remicade® and gone on to the biosimilar products, or even from one biosimilar to another, some have had infusion reactions, some have had untoward effects, and some have had a loss or a lack of benefit. That speaks to the fact that not all these drugs are equal. Although cost-cutting and being economically sensitive is important in our field, it's also paramount that we put patient care first and patient safety first.
Transcript Edited for Clarity
