On October 26, Dr. Richard Dolinar served as the keynote luncheon speaker at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Legislative Summit on Health in Las Vegas. Dr. Dolinar discussed the science and policy issues surrounding biosimilar provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act with state legislators from across the country. He explained the differences between traditional chemical drugs and live biologics – stressing the fact that when attempting to replicate biologics, biosimilars, are similar to, but not exact versions of the biologic they aim to replicate and therefore they may act differently in the body.
Dr. Dolinar also gave background on the legislative battles states are facing and the need to prioritize patient safety as biosimilars are approved.