Dolinar Adds to the Emerging Consensus Among Stakeholders on the Need for Unique Names

June 26, 2013

In Ottawa, Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines (ASBM) chairman, Richard Dolinar M.D., was one of a small group of patient advocates invited to address international regulators at the “Regulator Forum on Biologic Naming and Traceability,” hosted by Health Canada and BIOTECanada. Dolinar’s presentation added a physician’s perspective to the emerging consensus that unique distinguishable INN names play a central role in pharmacovigilance and traceability systems that enable clearer communication with patients, medical staff and pharmacists.

“Biologics are highly sensitive to the manufacturing process and their environment; slight differences can have unexpected results,” stated Dr. Dolinar. “As a physician, patient safety is paramount. I need to know as quickly as possible when and which product is associated with an unexpected outcome in order to treat my patients effectively. Identical names imply identical products, which will not be the case when biologics are made using different manufacturing processes and/or cell lines. If distinct non-proprietary names are not given to products, we may waste valuable treatment time trying to identify the root cause, and the patient will suffer.”

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