When it comes to biosimilar interchangeability, can "totality of evidence" be in the eyes of the beholder?
Consider that, now consider a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine on biosimilars.
The study specifically looks at biologics that treat inflammation for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel syndrome, called TNF-alpha inhibitors. They systematically reviewed 19 studies to determine how these biosimilars compared with the brand-name drugs, focusing on safety and efficacy. According to a story on the Kaiser Health News (KHN) site, “They concluded the biosimilars are “interchangeable” with the original versions, such as Remicade and Humira … We examined one very costly and commonly used class of biologic therapy,” said study author Dr. Caleb Alexander, codirector of the Johns Hopkins Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness. “The totality of evidence strongly supports the comparability of the biosimilar and branded product.
The Annals paper couldn’t have been that comprehensive since it ignored a well-publicized study from Mercy University Hospital, University College Cork, Centre for Gastroenterology, Mercy University Hospital, Cork, Ireland on … Remicade!
Titled, “Biosimilar but not the same,” the Irish research was presented at the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation. It studied the clinical impact of an innovator biologic (Remicade) and its EMA-approved biosimilar (Inflectra). The findings are important.
* 80% of the Inflectra group required hospital readmission versus 5% of the infliximab (Remicade) group. (p=0.00004). 60% of patients in the Inflectra group needed steroid augmentation of standard steroid tapering protocol with 50% requiring multiple increases in steroid dose versus 8% of patients in the Infliximab (p-value = 0.0007). Over the course of 8 weeks, 93% of patients in the Inflectra group had an increase in CRP with 7% remaining unchanged whereas 100% of patients in the infliximab group had a decrease in CRP (p=<0.001).
The conclusion of the Mercy study is not ambiguous, “Our results suggest that biosimilars may not be as efficacious as the reference medicine. The results found reflect the ECCO statement position that the use of most biosimilars in IBD will require testing in this particular patient population and cannot be extrapolated from other disease populations."
Per KHN, “Pharmacist Donald Miller, a professor at North Dakota State University, said the analysis is important because it is the first of its kind for these biosimilars. But the finding that the biosimilar drugs were “interchangeable” with the originals is interesting because the FDA has not yet awarded this designation to either Inflectra or Zarxio. “It is very important to realize that interchangeability of biosimilars has a specific meaning under U.S. law and [the] FDA has not yet issued guidance for any product to define itself as interchangeable to date,” he said.
Miller said many physicians worry that insurance companies will force patients to switch from biologics to biosimilars to save money, risking reactions to the tweaked drug molecules. Indeed, the American College of Rheumatologists’ position statement says that patients should be informed if they’re switched to biosimilars to cut costs and their physician should sign off on it. “Over time, biosimilars can save the health system billions, but only if they’re adopted and only if patients and clinicians and policymakers develop and support mechanisms that promote their adoption,” Alexander said.
Totality of evidence, indeed.
Consider that, now consider a new study in the Annals of Internal Medicine on biosimilars.
The study specifically looks at biologics that treat inflammation for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel syndrome, called TNF-alpha inhibitors. They systematically reviewed 19 studies to determine how these biosimilars compared with the brand-name drugs, focusing on safety and efficacy. According to a story on the Kaiser Health News (KHN) site, “They concluded the biosimilars are “interchangeable” with the original versions, such as Remicade and Humira … We examined one very costly and commonly used class of biologic therapy,” said study author Dr. Caleb Alexander, codirector of the Johns Hopkins Center for Drug Safety and Effectiveness. “The totality of evidence strongly supports the comparability of the biosimilar and branded product.
The Annals paper couldn’t have been that comprehensive since it ignored a well-publicized study from Mercy University Hospital, University College Cork, Centre for Gastroenterology, Mercy University Hospital, Cork, Ireland on … Remicade!
Titled, “Biosimilar but not the same,” the Irish research was presented at the European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation. It studied the clinical impact of an innovator biologic (Remicade) and its EMA-approved biosimilar (Inflectra). The findings are important.
* 80% of the Inflectra group required hospital readmission versus 5% of the infliximab (Remicade) group. (p=0.00004). 60% of patients in the Inflectra group needed steroid augmentation of standard steroid tapering protocol with 50% requiring multiple increases in steroid dose versus 8% of patients in the Infliximab (p-value = 0.0007). Over the course of 8 weeks, 93% of patients in the Inflectra group had an increase in CRP with 7% remaining unchanged whereas 100% of patients in the infliximab group had a decrease in CRP (p=<0.001).
The conclusion of the Mercy study is not ambiguous, “Our results suggest that biosimilars may not be as efficacious as the reference medicine. The results found reflect the ECCO statement position that the use of most biosimilars in IBD will require testing in this particular patient population and cannot be extrapolated from other disease populations."
Per KHN, “Pharmacist Donald Miller, a professor at North Dakota State University, said the analysis is important because it is the first of its kind for these biosimilars. But the finding that the biosimilar drugs were “interchangeable” with the originals is interesting because the FDA has not yet awarded this designation to either Inflectra or Zarxio. “It is very important to realize that interchangeability of biosimilars has a specific meaning under U.S. law and [the] FDA has not yet issued guidance for any product to define itself as interchangeable to date,” he said.
Miller said many physicians worry that insurance companies will force patients to switch from biologics to biosimilars to save money, risking reactions to the tweaked drug molecules. Indeed, the American College of Rheumatologists’ position statement says that patients should be informed if they’re switched to biosimilars to cut costs and their physician should sign off on it. “Over time, biosimilars can save the health system billions, but only if they’re adopted and only if patients and clinicians and policymakers develop and support mechanisms that promote their adoption,” Alexander said.
Totality of evidence, indeed.
