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.
In a suburb of Santa Clarita, California, Jeni recently went back to school to become a medical coder (someone who helps doctors and insurance companies speak the same language), and when she is not online learning she is enjoying everything the state has to offer—hiking, rock climbing and mountain biking with her dog Sally. “If you take me outside, I’m a happy girl,” she says. “Illness changed everything.”
“Every time I went to the bathroom,” she recalls, “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 felt like I had lost everything.” But once the doctor prescribed a biosimilar, Jeni says, “It was like flipping a light switch. Biosimilars truly gave me my life back!”
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As we continue to advocate for accessible biosimilars, we will rely more than ever on the voices of real patients. We invite you to share your story on what biosimilar medicines mean to you and urge you to subscribe for advocacy alerts.
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.
