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Study Says 1 Biosimilar Switch Is OK; Jury Still Out on Multiple Switches

  |  Issue: August 2018  |  

“One of the things I’ve really recognized from this is the fear that patients have of going back to their old self before they were on a biologic,” Ms. French said. “So you really see what a difference the biologics made to a patient’s life. And then they sort of perceive a change possibly as taking that away. So it’s just about managing that anxiety, really.”

Thomas R. Collins is a freelance writer living in South Florida.

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4 Tips to Enhance a Switch

  1. Ask, don’t tell, patients to switch.
  2. Explain financial incentives (lower prices).
  3. Offer the option to switch back to the originator in the event of flares, side effects, etc.
  4. Maintain consistency in how you talk to patients.

References

  1. Park W, Yoo DH, Miranda P, et al. Efficacy and safety of switching from reference infliximab to CT-P13 compared with maintenance of CT-P13 in ankylosing spondylitis: 102-week data from the PLANETAS extension study. Ann Rheum Dis. 2017 Feb;76(2):346–354.
  2. Yoo DH, Prodanovic N, Jaworski J, et al. Efficacy and safety of CT-P13 (biosimilar infliximab) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: Comparison between switching from reference infliximab to CT-P13 and continuing CT-P13 in the PLANETRA extension study. Ann Rheum Dis. 2017 Feb;76(2):355–363.
  3. Glintborg B, Sørensen IJ, Loft AG, et al. A nationwide non-medical switch from originator infliximab to biosimilar CT-P13 in 802 patients with inflammatory arthritis: 1-year clinical outcomes from the DANBIO registry. Ann Rheum Dis. 2017 Aug;76(8):1426–1431.
  4. Jørgensen KK, Olsen IC, Goll GL, et al. Switching from originator infliximab to biosimilar CT-P13 compared with maintained treatment with originator infliximab (NOR-SWITCH): a 52-week, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial. Lancet. 2017 Jun 10;389(10086):2304–2316.

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