By Michael Reilly, Executive Director, ASBM To date, the FDA has approved three biosimilars. The first, Zarxio (filgrastim-sndz), used a meaningful, memorable suffix based on the manufacturers name (Sandoz). The second two use the random suffixes “-dyyb” and “-szzs” which mean, well, nothing. ASBM’s surveys have shown that physicians (78%) and pharmacists (85%) support memorable […]
A Picture is worth a thousand words… Why Memorable Names are preferred by Pharmacists by Philip Schneider, MS FASHP Associate Dean, University of Arizona College of Pharmacy ASBM Advisory Board Chair Yesterday, I was in Philadelphia with a group of about 50 pharmacy students and faculty speaking about biosimilars and the role they do play and […]
On Friday, July 22nd, The Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines and MedChi, the Maryland State Medical Society co-hosted a forum entitled “Biosimilars: New Choices, New Challenges”. The event was attended by more than 45 physicians, legislators, patient advocates, healthcare workers, and others. MedChi’s CEO, Gene Ransom III began the forum with a discussion of the importance of biosimilars […]
In this video, patient advocate Kathleen Arntsen, President and CEO of the Lupus and Allied Diseases Association (LADA) and an autoimmune patient herself, discusses the power of advocacy and her concerns with Non-Medical Switching (NMS). NMS is the switching of a patient from one treatment to another, typically by a third party such as a Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) […]
ASBM was an exhibitor during the 52nd Annual meeting of the Drug Information Association (DIA) held June 26th-30th in Philadelphia. ASBM members and staff discussed biosimilars policy with attendees, including the need for the FDA to maintain high standards for safety and efficacy when approving biosimilars. More than 65 attendees, including clinical researchers, physicians, pharmacists, […]
On June 29th, ASBM Chairman Harry L. Gewanter, MD and ASBM Steering Committee Member Andrew Spiegel, Executive Director of the Global Colon Cancer Association, gave presentations at the 6th Latin American Forum on Biosimilars, held in Brasília, Brazil. The event was also the 7th Brazilian Forum on Biosimilars. The event was attended by more than 500 […]
Biologic medicines are used to treat millions of patients with serious illnesses like cancer, arthritis, and psoriasis. The patents for many biologic therapies are expiring over the coming years, and biosimilars will be entering the marketplace. Regulatory authorities around the world have put policies in place to ensure that biosimilars have been appropriately tested, and are safe and effective for patients.
The Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines is an organization composed of diverse healthcare groups and individuals—from patients to physicians, biotechnology companies that develop innovative and biosimilar medicines and others who are working together to ensure patient safety is at the forefront of the biosimilars policy discussion.
