For those yearning for the day when biosimilars save the U.S. health care system huge amounts of money, consider a recent episode in Denmark.
In October 2018, the patent expired on Humira, a big-selling biologic drug that is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and other ailments. The Danish government moved quickly and began accepting bids from companies that make biosimilar versions, which are nearly identical variants that are expected to yield the same health outcomes, but cost less than pricey brand-name biologics.
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As a Chrohn’s patient and retired healthcare professional, I’d like to see reports from Europe on the ongoing efficacy and safety of the Humira biosimilar.
This is no defense of AbbVie although I am grateful for Humira’s beneficial effects (on me.) Indeed, without the copay assistance and a generous pharm benefit I’d not be about to comfortably afford the routine and customary charge for each shipment, if at all.
Perhaps STAT or STAT+ can report further on the safety, in general, of biosimilars, especially those with significant side-effect considerations? While the risks are mathematically low, Humira, like any biologic, can cause serious and even life-threatening side effects. Hence, I’d like to know how high Europe sets the bar for trials safety.
And, yeah, I know the Internet is out there but that’s why I pay for a STAT+ subscription – they do an excellent job of reporting.
Hi Robert,
Thanks for the note.
And you ask a good question. I will poke around and see what I can find.
Appreciate that you took the time to write.
Regards,
ed at pharmalot