On June 20th, ASBM Chairman Ralph McKibbin, MD, FACP, FACG, AGAF presented a poster at the DIA Global Annual Meeting 2022 in Chicago, IL. The poster was entitled “U.S. Physician Perspectives on Biosimilar Substitution and Reimbursement Practices” and featured results from ASBM’s 2021 survey of 401 U.S. physicians. Among its key findings:
- Nearly all physicians surveyed expressed confidence in biosimilars – with 92% confident in their safety and efficacy.
- In addition, 89% are comfortable prescribing to a new/bio-naive patient, and 80% with switching a patient to a biosimilar.
- Despite this, a majority (58%) are uncomfortable with a switch initiated by a third-party for non-medical reasons. 89% maintain that they, with their patients, should have sole control over treatment choices.
- 67% consider it “very important” or “critical” that they are able to prevent a substitution they feel is inappropriate.
- A strong majority (71%) believed that payers should reimburse multiple biological products in a given class, including both originator product and its biosimilars; 74% considered it important that coverage decisions consider factors other than price.
- The vast majority (73%) of physicians do not believe that the FDA’s use of a suffix (to distinguish biosimilars from their reference
- product and other biosimilars to that product) implies inferiority.
- In addition, a biosimilar being designated as “interchangeable” by the FDA makes a majority (57%) more comfortable prescribing it, and with pharmacy-level substitution in place of the originator (59%).
