Greg, 37, of Los Angeles, CA., spends most of his time hiking, running and lifting weights, but his greatest passion in life is pizza. Not long ago, he made a bet with his wife that he could eat pizza and nothing but pizza for 45 days. As if that weren’t unusual enough, you should know that Greg has a history of ulcerative colitis.
Steroids were not controlling his condition, so his gastroenterologist put him on a biologic medication. After a while, his insurance plan recommended switching to a biosimilar—a safe, effective alternative to a brand-name biologic. “My doctor was on board,” recalls Greg. “I trust my doctor, so I switched to the biosimilar and it’s been smooth sailing ever since.”
“Given the complexity of drug design,” the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation informs patients, “biosimilars cannot be exact copies of biologic therapies, but still contain the same active ingredient, mechanism of action (how they work) and dosing…. Biosimilars are just as safe and effective as the original biologic therapy. There are no clinically meaningful differences.”
How did the bet go? To find out, you’ll have to read The Great Pizza Experiment: How I Ate Nothing but Pizza for Forty-Five Days and Lost Weight, and Other Stories.
To read other inspiring stories like Greg’s, check out the latest Voices of Access report.
