On May 9th, GaBI Journal published a whitepaper titled “Canadian prescribers’ attitudes and perceptions about ophthalmic biosimilars”, based on the recent survey of 41 Canadian ophthalmologists by ASBM and the International Federation on Ageing (IFA). The paper is authored by IFA Secretary-General Jane Barratt and ASBM Executive Director Michael Reilly. The survey revealed that 81% were not […]
By Michael Reilly, Executive Director, Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines (ASBM) ASBM recently submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the proposed Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Plan. Under this plan – authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed in to law last year – Medicare will “negotiate” (set) maximum […]
On April 30th, the Generics and Biosimilar Initiative (GaBI) published a meeting report on a 2-hour webinar entitled “Non-Medical Switching of Biologicals and Biosimilars: Canada, Europe, and the US”, hosted July 20th, 2022 by ASBM and GaBI. During the webinar, academic clinicians, patient advocates, policymakers and regulatory experts from Canada and the US shared their experience and […]
On March 5th-6th, ASBM Chairman Ralph McKibbin, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF participated in the 33rd annual Digestive Disease National Coalition public policy forum in Washington, DC March 5th and 6th. The advocacy conference brought together patient advocates, health care providers, and industry representatives from the major national voluntary and professional societies concerned with digestive diseases. […]
On March 28th, ASBM participated in the World Health Organization’s 76th Consultation on International Non-proprietary Names (INN) for Pharmaceutical Substances, held in Geneva, Switzerland. This was the twentieth INN Consultation in which ASBM has participated. ASBM was represented at the session by Executive Director Michael Reilly, Esq., and Advisory Board Chair Philip Schneider, MS, FASHP. […]
Press Release: As Ontario Announces Forced Biosimilar Switching, Ophthalmologists Are Latest Specialty to Raise Concerns 28 February 2023 TORONTO, ONTARIO – Physicians and their patients- and not a government -should choose which biologic medicine to use, according to a new survey of Canadian ophthalmologists by the Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines (ASBM) and the International […]
On January 31st, ASBM’s Immediate Past Chair Madelaine Feldman, MD, FACR and Executive Director Michael Reilly participated in the 2023 Treatment Choice Summit, held in Washington, DC. Dr. Feldman moderated the first panel discussion, Patient and Provider Perspectives on the Impact of Treatment Choice. The purpose of the discussion was to identify barriers to treatment choice and […]
The Ohio State College of Pharmacy has provided ASBM with access codes for our Members who wish to view the first four modules of the ASBM/OSU College of Pharmacy Biosimilars Course at no charge: Biosimilars Module 1: Introduction to Biologics and Biosimilars (Prof. Philip Schneider, MS FASHP FFIP) Biosimilars Module 2: Substitution and Interchangeability (Prof. Philip Schneider, MS FASHP […]
In December, the Generics and Biosimilar Initiative (GaBI) published a whitepaper entitled “US prescribers’ attitudes and perceptions about biosimilars”, based on the findings from ASBM’s survey of 401 U.S. physicians fielded in late 2021. The paper was authored by ASBM’s Chairman Ralph McKibbin, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF; and Executive Director Michael S. Reilly, Esq. The survey examines […]
On May 9th, GaBI Journal published a whitepaper titled “Canadian prescribers’ attitudes and perceptions about ophthalmic biosimilars”, based on the recent survey of 41 Canadian ophthalmologists by ASBM and the International Federation on Ageing (IFA). The paper is authored by IFA Secretary-General Jane Barratt and ASBM Executive Director Michael Reilly. The survey revealed that 81% were not […]
On April 30th, the Generics and Biosimilar Initiative (GaBI) published a meeting report on a 2-hour webinar entitled “Non-Medical Switching of Biologicals and Biosimilars: Canada, Europe, and the US”, hosted July 20th, 2022 by ASBM and GaBI. During the webinar, academic clinicians, patient advocates, policymakers and regulatory experts from Canada and the US shared their experience and […]
By Michael Reilly, Executive Director, Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines (ASBM) ASBM recently submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on the proposed Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Plan. Under this plan – authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed in to law last year – Medicare will “negotiate” (set) maximum […]
On March 5th-6th, ASBM Chairman Ralph McKibbin, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF participated in the 33rd annual Digestive Disease National Coalition public policy forum in Washington, DC March 5th and 6th. The advocacy conference brought together patient advocates, health care providers, and industry representatives from the major national voluntary and professional societies concerned with digestive diseases. […]
On January 31st, ASBM’s Immediate Past Chair Madelaine Feldman, MD, FACR and Executive Director Michael Reilly participated in the 2023 Treatment Choice Summit, held in Washington, DC. Dr. Feldman moderated the first panel discussion, Patient and Provider Perspectives on the Impact of Treatment Choice. The purpose of the discussion was to identify barriers to treatment choice and […]
In December, the Ontario government announced that it would follow other Canadian provinces including British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and require mandatory switching to biosimilars. a mandatory switching in 2020, but implementation was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A nine-month transition period will begin March 31st. From the government’s announcement: Ontarians receiving coverage under the ODB […]
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, and biosimilars are entering the marketplace. These give patients new treatment options, and reduce costs through competition. 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.
Non-Medical Switching
Non-Medical Switching is when a patient is switched from one biologic medicine (either an originator product or a biosimilar) to another product- not for reasons of health or safety but for economic reasons. This is often done by a third party such as a private insurer, a pharmacy-benefit manager, or a government agency in order to save money, increase profits, or because of a deal made with a particular manufacturer. This practice is controversial among patients and physicians because treatment decisions are not "one size fits all". Many patients try several biologic medicines until they find one that stabilizes their condition; physicians generally oppose the unnecessary switching of medicines for stable 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.
