Press Release
ASHP Foundation Releases Report on the Adoption of Biosimilars
BETHESDA, Md. — Today, the ASHP Foundation released a new report exploring the challenges and opportunities surrounding the adoption of biosimilar treatment options. The report, “Accelerating the Adoption of Biosimilars,” details the findings of an ASHP Foundation steering committee and virtual research panel (VRP) created to examine how biosimilars are currently used and how the lessons learned from these early experiences can be translated to further accelerate biosimilar adoption. This initiative is sponsored by Amgen.
“This report is an excellent example of the ASHP Foundation supporting research that advances patient care and demonstrates pharmacy’s leadership in optimizing medication use,” said Steven A. Rubloff, chief executive officer of the ASHP Foundation.
Members of the steering committee will be presenting highlights from the report in a live webinar hosted by ASHP on Wednesday, June 22, 2022, from 2-3 p.m. ET, and a podcast launching in August.
Biosimilars offer an opportunity to add value by reducing costs while at the same time increasing patient access to innovative biologic therapies. However, adoption in the United States has been slow. The hesitation to adopt biosimilars has been attributed to various barriers, including awareness, prescriber and patient concerns, limited labeling allowances for some indications, and a lack of incentives to switch to a biosimilar treatment option.
The steering committee of key stakeholders identified five domains important for and believed to be impacting the adoption of biosimilars: policy, payer collaboration and alignment, organization-wide alignment, an approach customized to the therapy, and patient education and physician engagement. While discussing these issues, the VRP identified key challenges to adoption, such as complex policy and system issues, lack of cost transparency, paucity of real-world evidence, and unknown patient benefits and outcomes.
Successful implementation strategies currently in practice and shared by project participants build on existing, trusting relationships between the healthcare team and patients; ongoing communication between payers and providers; alignment of incentives; a coordinated organizational approach; and an adoption plan customized to the organization and the therapeutic area.
About the ASHP Foundation
The ASHP Foundation was established in 1968 by ASHP as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. As the philanthropic arm of ASHP, the foundation shares ASHP's vision that medication use will be optimal, safe, and effective for all people all of the time. Our mission is to support ASHP by advancing the professional practice of pharmacists and the pharmacy workforce by funding research and education that improves health outcomes through optimal, safe, and effective medication use.