Join to access to all OVN content. Join for Free
Oncology biosimilars: New developments and future directions
biologics in cancer treatment biosimilars development high cost of biologics healthcare system burden biosimilars safety regulatory guidelines for biosimilars immunogenicity concerns pharmacoeconomics of biosimilars

Oncology biosimilars: New developments and future directions


Share This Article


Summary

  • Biologics are essential in cancer treatment as both therapeutic and supportive care agents, but they are expensive and require extensive testing to ensure safety.
  • The high cost of developing and manufacturing biologics can be a burden on healthcare systems, limiting patient access to necessary treatments.
  • Biosimilars, which are similar to biologics but cheaper, are being developed as patents for biologics expire, aiming to reduce costs and increase accessibility to cancer therapies.
  • Regulatory guidelines for biosimilars are continually updated to ensure their safe and effective development.
  • Despite the cost benefits, there is still uncertainty among healthcare professionals and patients about biosimilars due to a lack of knowledge and concerns about immunogenicity.
  • This review provides an overview of legislation, regulations, pharmacoeconomics, and perceptions related to biosimilars, including those in development and available on the market.

Biologicals have become an integral part of cancer treatment both as therapeutic agents and as supportive care agents. It is important to know that biologics are large, complex molecular entities requiring extensive immunogenicity testing and pharmacovigilance strategies to ensure no immune response is evoked in the body. Oncology's pharmacological market is dominated by biologics; however, their high development and manufacturing costs are burdensome to healthcare systems. Biologics, being the most expensive prescription drugs on the market, limit accessibility for necessary treatment for many patients.

As biologics patents expire, the development of biosimilars is underway in an effort to lower costs and enable patients to access new cancer therapies. Regulatory guidelines for biosimilars have now been established and are constantly being revised to address any issues, facilitating their robust development. Moreover, many scientific societies offer guidance to help stakeholders better understand current regulations and biosimilars' safety. Despite the potential cost benefits, lack of knowledge about biosimilars and the possibility of immunogenicity have created an uncertain environment for healthcare professionals and patients. In this review, we provide an overview of relevant legislation and regulations, pharmacoeconomics, and stakeholder perceptions regarding biosimilars. The article also describes biosimilars in development, as well as the ones currently available on the market.

Click for Source Download PDF version
biologics in cancer treatment, biosimilars development, high cost of biologics, healthcare system burden, biosimilars safety, regulatory guidelines for biosimilars, immunogenicity concerns, pharmacoeconomics of biosimilars

Related Topics

Meet Our Innovation Partners

Loading partners...

You May Also Like

Article
Does biomarker use in oncology improve clinical trial failure risk? A large-scale analysis
OVN Avatar Jayson L. Parker, Sebnem S. Kuzulugil, Kirill Pereverzev, Stephen Mac, Gilberto Lopes, Zain Shah, Ashini Weerasinghe, Daniel Rubinger, Adam Falconi, Ayse Bener, Bora Caglayan, Rohan Tangri, Nicholas Mitsakakis

Does biomarker use in oncology improve clinical trial failure risk? A large-scale analysis

Article
Assessment of Coverage in England of Cancer Drugs Qualifying for US Food and Drug Administration Accelerated Approval
OVN Avatar Avi Cherla, MSc; Huseyin Naci, MHS, PhD; Aaron S. Kesselheim, MD, JD, MPH; Bishal Gyawali, MD, PhD; Elias Mossialos, MD, PhD

Assessment of Coverage in England of Cancer Drugs Qualifying for US Food and Drug Administration Accelerated Approval

Article
Assessment of Food and Drug Administration- and European Medicines Agency-Approved Systemic Oncology Therapies and Clinically Meaningful Improvements in Quality of Life: A Systematic Review
OVN Avatar Vanessa Arciero, BS, Seanthel Delos Santos, Liza Koshy

Assessment of Food and Drug Administration- and European Medicines Agency-Approved Systemic Oncology Therapies and Clinically Meaningful Improvements in Quality of Life: A Systematic Review

Article
Clinical Educator Oncology Program Improves Adherence by 29%​
Partner Avatar iNIZIO

Clinical Educator Oncology Program Improves Adherence by 29%​

Article
New Book Unites Oncology’s Brightest Minds To Innovate Cancer Cures
OVN Avatar Forbes Books Press Release Official

New Book Unites Oncology’s Brightest Minds To Innovate Cancer Cures

Article
CheckMate-067: Raising the Bar for the Next Decade in Oncology
OVN Avatar Sarah A. Weiss, MD, and Harriet Kluger, MD

CheckMate-067: Raising the Bar for the Next Decade in Oncology

Explore OVN