Jeni Got Her Life Back, Thanks to a Biosimilar

Home / Jeni Got Her Life Back, Thanks to a Biosimilar

Monday October 12, 2020

In 2019, Jeni Doerr finally received a diagnosis for her recent illnesses – pancolitis. Doerr, 35, from Newhall, CA, is featured in AAM’s recently released Generic Drug & Biosimilars Access & Savings in the U.S. report.

Here’s Jeni’s story, in her own words:

“I had been experiencing stomach issues since June 2017. Every time I went to the bathroom, I would lose blood and I couldn’t eat anything. I became anemic and after my symptoms got even worse I finally went to the ER where I received a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with pancolitis. I was then in and out of the hospital a few times trying different name brand biologic medications that didn’t work. I felt like I had lost everything I loved. I couldn’t hike, rock climb or even play with my dog, Sally.

Finally, after I was in the hospital for a full week, I was switched to a biosimilar and within two days I started to feel normal. I went from paying for a biologic that didn’t work well to not paying anything for a biosimilar that truly helped. My last treatment was in early 2020 and since then I have been able to hike, rock climb and take my dog out for walks. If I had known about biosimilars earlier, I would have never tried anything else. Biosimilars truly gave me my life back!”

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Related Resources

[Infographic] Alternative to Biologic Medicines

[Videos] AAM Patient Stories

[Blog] Advocacy for Patient Access to Biosimilars

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FDA-approved biosimilars have the potential to provide 1.2 million patients access to treatments for rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, cancer and other chronic conditions, at a lower cost. Over the next ten years, biosimilars could save the entire U.S. health care system $54 billion. Find out more about how biosimilars truly benefit everyone in our infographic.

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.

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