July 12, 2021
On June 29th, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed his state’s HHS Omnibus budget for 2022-2023. The legislature had considered but ultimately rejected language aimed at boosting uptake of biosimilars – provisions which many patient groups believed might inadvertently increase out-of-pocket costs. Since April, ASBM and other organizations including the Lupus and Allied Diseases Association (LADA, […]
July 7, 2021
From June 27-July 1, 2021, ASBM virtually presented present a poster the DIA Global Annual Meeting 2021 entitled “A Review of Problems with Pharmacovigilance Programs and Biologics”. The poster is authored by ASBM Executive Director Michael Reilly and Advisory Board Chair Philip Schneider. Dr. Schneider presented the poster in a video recording available to conference attendees for the duration of the […]
June 12, 2021
ASBM, in conjunction with the Long Island University College of Pharmacy (LIU-Pharmacy), is now offering a comprehensive continuing education course on biosimilars entitled “Biosimilars: What Pharmacists Need to Know”. The course is accredited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE), meaning course credit is available to pharmacists nationwide. The first entry in the series is […]
June 6, 2021
ASBM Launches Online Biosimilars Course for Pharmacists ASBM, in conjunction with the Long Island University College of Pharmacy (LIU-Pharmacy), is now offering a comprehensive continuing education course on biosimilars entitled “Biosimilars: What Pharmacists Need to Know”. The course is accredited by the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE), meaning course credit is available to […]
May 20, 2021
On May 18th, Quebec announced its intention to become the fourth province to require patients to switch to biosimilars. British Columbia and Alberta have already implemented similar policies, and in April, New Brunswick announced it will follow them. Starting April 12, 2022, Quebec will cover, “with exceptions,” only the biosimilar version of drugs. “Despite the inclusion of several […]
May 18, 2021
Oklahoma Becomes Final State to Permit Biosimilar Substitution On April 22nd, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt signed SB 4, making Oklahoma the 50th and final state to enact a law permitting biosimilar substitution. SB 4, like similar legislation in other states, permits interchangeable biosimilars to be substituted at the pharmacy level once approved by […]
May 10, 2021
On April 13th, ASBM presented to the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) 72nd Consultation on International Nonproprietary Names (INN) for Pharmaceutical Substances, held in Geneva, Switzerland. This was the sixteenth INN Consultation at which ASBM has presented. ASBM was represented by Executive Director Michael Reilly, Esq., and Advisory Board Chair Philip Schneider, MS, FASHP. Due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions […]
April 1, 2021
ASBM Leads Three Panel Discussions at Festival of Biologics USA 2021 From March 29th-31st ASBM representatives led three panel discussions at the World Biosimilar Congress USA 2021, part of the annual Festival of Biologics USA. Typically held in San Diego, CA, the event was conducted virtually this year due the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 29th, […]
March 10, 2021
Forced Switching: Patient and Physician Concerns As of July 2022, four Canadian provinces, British Columbia, Alberta, New Brunswick, and Quebec have implemented or partially implemented forced biosimilar non-medical switching policies. The controversial policies drew strong objections from many in the GI patient and physician community. Read about the biosimilar substitution policies of each Province and Territory here. In […]
February 28, 2021
Controversial Biosimilar Switching Policy in Canada in 2021 As of February, two Canadian provinces, British Columbia and Alberta, have implemented or partially implemented forced biosimilar non-medical switching policies. The controversial policies drew strong objections from many in the GI patient and physician community. In a 2017 survey, more than 2/3 of Canadian physicians surveyed said […]
