The Biosimilars Council Applauds Reintroduction of the Bipartisan BIOSIM Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. (April 23, 2021) — The Biosimilars Council, representing leading developers of biosimilar medicines, strongly supports the reintroduction, and encourages swift passage, of the bipartisan BIOSIM Act (HR 2815). This bill is an important step toward giving Americans greater access to lifesaving, affordable medicines.

Christine Simmon, Executive Director of the Biosimilars Council, said, Every day, biosimilars help patients treat serious chronic illnesses at 30% lower cost than brand-name biologics. However, systemic barriers are preventing many patients from accessing these treatments, keeping prescription spending high.

Simmon continued, The bipartisan BIOSIM Act will address one of these barriers. By modestly boosting reimbursement to health care providers using biosimilars, the BIOSIM Act will encourage faster adoption of these novel treatments and deliver savings for providers and patients.

The Biosimilars Council applauds Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) for fighting to expand patient access to affordable drugs, and we look forward to working with them to advance this legislation to law.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Rachel Schwartz
202.249.7147

About the Biosimilars Council

The Biosimilars Council, a division of the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM), works to ensure a positive environment for patient access to biosimilar medicines. The Biosimilars Council is a leading source for information about the safety and efficacy of more affordable alternatives to costly brand biologic medicines. Areas of focus include public and health expert education, strategic partnerships, government affairs, legal affairs and regulatory policy. More information is available on our about page.

About AAM

AAM is driven by the belief that access to safe, quality, effective medicine has a tremendous impact on a person’s life and the world around them. Generic and biosimilar medicines improve people’s lives, improving society and the economy in turn. AAM represents the manufacturers and distributors of finished generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars, manufacturers and distributors of bulk pharmaceutical chemicals, and suppliers of other goods and services to the generic industry. Generic pharmaceuticals are 90 percent of prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. but only 20 percent of total drug spending.