On October 20th, representatives from the patient, physician, and pharmacist communities joined manufacturers of innovator biologics and biosimilars to discuss reauthorization of the Biosimilars User Fee Act (BsUFA). BsUFA is a five-year agreement between FDA and stakeholders that finances the FDA’s review of biosimilars through fees paid by biosimilar sponsors. It is set to expire in September 2017. The public meeting was held to discuss BsUFA’s proposed replacement, BsUFA II, at the FDA’s campus in Silver Spring, MD.

 

ASBM Steering Committee member group, the Global Colon Cancer Association, represented ASBM at the meeting. GCCA head Andrew Spiegel praised BsUFA’s track record in his remarks:

 

As patient advocates, we are extremely encouraged by the success of BsUFA in promoting both the safe and timely introduction of biosimilars. We’ve finally seen several biosimilars approved over the past year; and numerous other products are in various stages of the pipeline. 

 

We can see the FDA’s cautious, science-based approach to biosimilar approval is working: take for example its use of distinguishable naming–both in the Zarxio approval and in subsequent approvals. It is critical for patients and providers to always be able to clearly identify which biologic product is being used throughout treatment. Accurate attribution of adverse events to the correct biologic is also necessary for long-term tracking of safety and efficacy. 

 

Learn more about BsUFA II here.

Read Mr. Spiegel’s remarks here.

 

Click here to watch the full FDA Meeting.