Gauging the Biosimilar Effect: will the market boom or bust?

It was supposed to be the “epoch of biosimilars”, or drugs that copied existing biologics but had the potential to be more cost-effective. Yet five years later, biosimilars have failed to reach their forecasted potential of $16.4 billion in sales this year, falling short to just $235 million in 2010.

The pitfalls—everything from cost and unfavorable US legislation to a lack of interchangeability and physician resistance—have led some in the industry to ring the death knell. Yet according to others, the market remains alluring, predominantly because it represents life-changing medicine and the future of healthcare.

Report Highlights of Gauging the Biosimilar Effect: will the market boom or bust? include:

• Insight from 16 industry leaders from Europe, the US and Canada
• Unique insight into the German biosimilars market
• Recommendations of how the industry can move forward

Cast against European and particularly German experiences, Gauging the Biosimilar Effect: will the market boom or bust? looks at the current state-of-play for biosimilars. The report, based on 16 industry interviews, examines the drivers and resistors to the still-unproven biosimilars market. The report moves from a general discussion of biosimilars to an explanation why they proved immediately popular in Germany. Market drivers—patent expiry, developing markets and costs savings—are reflected against the roadblocks, including high barriers to entry, lack of substitution, repressive US legislation and the physicians’ reluctance to engage. Finally, the report reviews the responses of both innovator and biosimilar companies, as well as their strategies for future success. Specificially this report provides:

• Comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the biosimilars market
• Insight into the resistors and drivers to biosimilar uptake
• Strategies on how to improve biosimilar spending
• Discussion of how the branded industry should respond to defend market share

Gauging the Biosimilar Effect: will the market boom or bust? answers key questions including:

• What are the drivers and resistors of biosimilar uptake?
• Why was Germany the most successful market for biosimilars?
• What strategies should biosimilar manufacturers do to increase uptake?
• How should the branded industry respond?
• How will the biosimilars industry evolve and what forces will shape it?

“I think that the biosimilar market will become a part of the landscape where major pharmaceutical companies and biotechnology companies will control that market, and use the biosimilar market as a means to extend the lifecycle of their innovative franchises.” Clifford Mintz, Management Consultant

“In the US and other countries where there is much more importance placed on price, and where the private sector insurers are a lot more involved, and where government is now seeking to reduce drug spending, yes, price could very well be the number one determinant of gaining market share for biosimilars in the US market.” Ronald Rader, President of the Biotechnology Information Institute

“Unless you have 100% patient interchangeability, you don’t have 100% medication interchangeability. You have acceptable ranges. But an acceptable range for a generic statin is one thing. An acceptable interchangeability rate for rheumatoid arthritis is something else entirely.” Peter Pitts, President and Cofounder, Center for Medicine in the Public Interest

• Gillian Woollett, Vice President, Avalere Health
• Louis-Christian Clauss, Senior Consultant, Hisut SA and Atheln Biomed
• Peter Pitts, President and Cofounder, Center for Medicine in the Public Interest
• Markus Hauser, Director Strategic Commercial Effectiveness, Biogen Idec
• Alex Kanarek, Senior Consultant, BioProcess Technology Consultants Inc.
• Sandy Eisen, Chief Medical Officer, Frontline Pharma Consulting
• Andrew Bourgoin, Pharmaceutical Research Analyst, Thomson Reuters
• Andrew Merron, Director, Biosimilars Advisory Service & Oncology, Decision Resources
• Ronald Rader, President, Biotechnology Information Institute
• Steven Grossman, Consultant, Public Policy and FDA
• Magdalena Leszczyniecka, Founder and CEO, STC Biologics Inc.
• Kristie Kuhl, Senior Vice President, Makovsky & Co.
• Clifford Mintz, Management Consultant
• Dimitrios Papadopoulos, Commercial Executive in the Pharmaceutical Industry
• Regina Au, Strategic Marketing Consultant, BioMarketing Insight
• Michael Castagna, Executive Director, Immunoscience Division, Bristol-Myers Squibb