Washington, DC (PRWEB) March 20, 2015
Although an approval pathway for biosimilars has been available since the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, the United States has just this month seen the FDA approve a drug through this process, Sandoz Inc.’s Zarxio. The agency also has been working with other companies that are hoping to gain approval for and launch these products, potentially increasing price competition of various biologics. And with an increasing number of biologics boasting price tags nearing — or exceeding — $100,000 per patient per year, that competition can’t come fast enough for payers, providers and patients. Participants of the March 31 Atlantic Information Services webinar, “The U.S. Biosimilars Market: Preparations Payers Should Make Now,” will learn about biosimilars’ potential impact on the U.S. market and how payers should prepare.
Three industry experts — Helen Sherman, Pharm.D., and Lynn Nishida, R.Ph., of Solid Benefit Guidance, and Gillian Woollett, M.A., D.Phil., of Avalere Health LLC — will provide 60 minutes of presentations, followed by 30 minutes devoted to individual questions. They will provide valuable perspectives on:
- What should health plans know about how biologics and biosimilars compare to the reference brand?
- What takeaways are there from FDA advisory committee meetings, including discussions of the clinical trials data, and from the agency itself?
- What lessons can be learned from biosimilars’ international experience or lack thereof? How much is — or is not — transferable to U.S. health care?
- What kind of scenarios should payers be running?
- What discussions should payers be having with both biosimilar and reference drug manufacturers?
- What clarifications to health plan contracts might payers need to take biosimilars into account?
- What data might payers use to consider what coverage should be for a biosimilar versus its reference product, in terms of biosimilarity and interchangeability?
- What changes in patient and provider education programs may be needed?
- How will the kinds of pharma manufacturers in the biosimilars space — traditional generic versus brand biologic manufacturers — influence the new drugs’ uptake?
Visit http://aishealth.com/marketplace/c5p05_033115 for more details and registration information.
About AIS
Atlantic Information Services, Inc. (AIS) is a publishing and information company that has been serving the health care industry for more than 25 years. It develops highly targeted news, data and strategic information for managers in hospitals, health plans, medical group practices, pharmaceutical companies and other health care organizations. AIS products include print and electronic newsletters, websites, looseleafs, books, strategic reports, databases, webinars and conferences. Learn more at http://www.AISHealth.com.