Over 15 years ago, the world’s first biosimilar was launched. This was very much a European success story, with the European Medicines Agency leading the way to bringing more affordable biologics to patients. Biosimilars have had a tremendous impact on:
- Patient access: Biosimilars paved the way for millions of patients to access life changing therapies, providing earlier and broader access across oncology, immunology and endocrinology.
- Healthcare system sustainability: Through savings, healthcare systems can focus resources on innovative products to improve the lives of even more people. To date, biosimilar medicines have saved 18 billion Euro in Europe1.
- Innovation: Biosimilars bring competition to the market, one of the most powerful triggers for further investment in research and innovation.
However, more needs to be done to achieve equitable access to biologics in Europe.
As stressed in the IQVIA 2021 Impact of Biosimilar Competition report: “Not all European countries have been either willing or able to increase access to biological medicines in the available therapy classes2”. There remains a lot that countries across Europe can do to increase the use of biosimilars and close access gaps, for the full benefits of patients. The Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe must help unlock the full potential of biosimilar medicines. These calls have been echoed by the European Parliament in the report on the EU pharmaceutical strategy3 and EU beating cancer plan4.
Lees het volledig artikel op de website van Medicines for Europe
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