The Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines (ASBM) will host a series of roundtables beginning in September to seek input from the patient, physician and pharmacist communities on the issue of physician notification for biosimilars.

The roundtables seek to build on the May 24th ASBM Advisory Board physician notification working group meeting led by Chairman Richard Dolinar, M.D.   The first roundtable will be held in Phoenix, Arizona where Dr. Dolinar is a practicing endocrinologist and where the International Cancer Advocacy Network (ICAN), an ASBM member, is based.

When announcing the roundtables Dolinar made it clear that any notification policy formalized by ASBM must acknowledge the unique roles of pharmacists and physicians and must ensure that they work together in the best interests of the patient.  “As a practicing physician, I know well the valuable role pharmacists play in making sure that patients receive the treatments that are best for them.  They also play a critical role helping physicians quickly trace back the source of an adverse drug event when they occur.    We are determined to bring pharmacists into the discussion so that we can put forth a thoughtful notification policy that promotes patient safety without interfering with the pharmacists’ autonomy or ability to serve their patients in a timely manner.”