Background: With the continued shift towards value-based care in oncology, biosimilars (biological products highly similar to and with no clinically meaningful differences from existing FDA-approved reference products) can allow patient access to critical therapies with the potential to lower cost of care. There are 9 FDA approved therapeutic oncology biosimilars to 3 reference molecules: trastuzumab (5), bevacizumab (2) and rituximab (2), in addition to supportive care biosimilars for hematopoietic growth factors. We sought to assess the perceptions and utilization of these therapeutic biosimilars in curative and palliative settings in oncology. Methods: Virtual meetings held in Fall 2020 convened medical oncologists and hematologists (mO/H) from diverse U.S. regions and practice types. Participants submitted responses via web-based surveys. Responses to questions were summarized using descriptive statistics. Results: A total of 195 mO/H participated (Table 1) in this research; 53% are familiar with biosimilars and understand how the FDA defines and evaluates them. They have prescribed trastuzumab (70%), bevacizumab (61%), and rituximab biosimilars (63%) in the past year. mO/H are more comfortable switching patients from a reference biologic to a biosimilar in a palliative setting (85%) compared to a curative setting (68%). A majority (72%) are comfortable switching from one biosimilar to another. Most (86%) would prescribe a biosimilar in indications that have been granted FDA approval based on extrapolation and 91% are comfortable with automatic substitution of a biosimilar for its reference product by a pharmacy or insurance company. The most influential factors to adopting biosimilars that are fourth or fifth to the market within their class are robust clinical studies (44%), price discount (25%), and payer coverage (16%). Conclusions: Overall, mO/H surveyed had both familiarity and comfort with the FDA process for evaluation and approval of biosimilars. Most had experience with prescribing therapeutic biosimilars, with the majority accepting of biosimilar use in extrapolated indications and switching between biosimilars. Adoption for therapeutic biosimilars is higher in palliative settings than curative settings. Robust clinical evidence and discounts are major drivers of adoption. These data can inform stakeholders (i.e., biopharma, payers, and practices) regarding biosimilar development and adoption as more biosimilars prepare to enter the market.
Participant Characteristics
