Good morning, everyone, and nice to see you again after a few days of running around the equivalent of Woodstock for ravenous biopharma executives and investors. Now, though, the spectacle is winding down and we are returning to something resembling our usual routine, although we confess that we will take a break tomorrow, so a colleague will fill in during our absence. Meanwhile, here are some tidbits to help you focus on your own journey. Hope all goes well and do drop us a line if something interesting, unusual or scandalous occurs …
U.S. government officials are growing concerned that biologic makers are using scare tactics to ward off biosimilar versions of their products, The Washington Post reports. “I am worried that there are either deliberate or unintentional efforts by branded companies to create confusion,” says Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. The campaign of confusing, mixed messages has been underway for years but is attracting greater attention as market competition edges closer to reality.
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Interesting quote from Philip Schneider (Advisory Board Chair, Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines) in the WAPO item on “scare tactics” – “The U.S. medical community should proceed cautiously with moving patients to unbranded biologics “so we don’t end up with another thalidomide’’ … ”
One wonders how the former-Celgene, now BMS will feel about such a position?
(To explain – Celgene’s Revlimid product sales were $10 Billion of their $15 Billion 2018 revenue. It is the thalidomide based product that gave the industry the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) – both beloved and despised, depending on where one sits in this dance,)