Will increased biosimilar use benefit the U.S. health system?

Wednesday June 26, 2019

Dr. Sameer Awsare, Internal Medicine Physician and Associate Executive Director at Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, sat down with the Biosimilars Council to talk about biosimilars, their benefits and the hurdles to adoption in the United States.

Dr. Awsare works closely with patients who are directly impacted by the promise of biosimilars. His knowledge of the industry and work with Kaiser Permanente – a leader driving the adoption of biosimilars – gives him a unique perspective on this important issue.

TRANSCRIPT

Will increased biosimilar use benefit the U.S. health care system?

Dr. Sameer Awsare: “At Kaiser Permanente we have a lot of experience using biosimilars. What we really like to do is take a look at the evidence and make sure that whatever we’re using is really going to give the best results to our patients. It’s actually very interesting that by the year 2020 it is estimated that 50 percent of the drug spend will be on biologics – some people are even saying it could be as high as 75 percent – so it’s absolutely crucial that we make some changes in our laws so that we can have better uptake of biosimilars.”

Enjoy this clip? Watch the full interview.

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 22 percent of total drug spending.

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 at www.biosimilarscouncil.org.