Biosimilars for Cancer Treatment: Are They Right for Me?

You will learn:

• What a biosimilar is

• The difference between a biologic medicine and a biosimilar

• The difference between a generic medicine and a biosimilar

• Whether a biosimilar can be substituted for a medicine you are currently taking

• The cost of biosimilars

• Questions to ask your healthcare team about biosimilars

Biosimilars are a new type of treatment option for patients who are taking biologics for some types of cancer.

Biosimilars are very similar (but not identical) to biologics that you may be taking, and are designed to work the same way as your biologic.

Biosimilars must work as well as the original biologic to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

No. Generics are identical copies of the original medicine. Generic medicines are exact copies of brand-name medicines.

A generic medicine has the exact same strength, dosage, route of administration, intended use, benefits, and side effects as the original medicine.

Yes. Biosimilars are only approved by the FDA after rigorous evaluation and testing.

You should be confident about taking biosimilars because they:

• Meet the same FDA standards for approval as biologics

• Are manufactured in FDA-licensed facilities

• Are tracked as patients use them to make sure that they safe (post-marketing surveillance)

Yes. Interchangeable means that a biosimilar can be expected to work exactly as well as the original medicine in any patient.

This means that a biosimilar may be substituted for the original biologic by a pharmacist.

However, at this time there aren’t any biosimilars that the FDA has designated as "interchangeable."

At this time, biosimilars approved for treatment of cancer include:

• Bevacizumab-awwb (Mvasi^®): to treat colorectal, lung, glioblastoma, kidney, cervical, and ovarian cancers

• Epoetin alfa-epbx (Retacrit^®): to treat anemia associated with chemotherapy

• Filgrastim-sndz (Zarxio^®): to help the body make white blood cells after receiving cancer medicines

• Pegfilgrastim-jmbd (Fulphila^®): to help the body make white blood cells after receiving cancer medications

• Rituximab-abbs (Truxima®): to treat blood cancers (lymphoma and leukemia)

If you are taking bevacizumab, epoetin alfa, filgrastim, trastuzumab, pegfilgrastim, or rituximab for your cancer, a biosimilar may be a treatment option for you.

Yes. Your doctor must prescribe a biosimilar by name for you to receive one, and your pharmacist can then substitute a biosimilar for your biologic.

Usually not. One of the main benefits of biosimilars is they tend to be less expensive.

In the United States, the first approved biosimilar has a 10% lower average daily treatment cost than the brand-name biologic.

In Europe, where many biosimilars are approved, the cost has been lowered significantly.

Again, if you are taking bevacizumab, epoetin alfa, filgrastim, trastuzumab, pegfilgrastim, or rituximab for your cancer, you may want to ask your healthcare team whether a biosimilar is a treatment option for you.

Some questions you may also want to ask include:

• Is there a biosimilar to treat my cancer?

• How can I be sure the biosimilar will work as well as my biologic?

• Are biosimilars covered by my insurance?

As an emerging treatment for cancer, you may want to look for more information on biosimilars, including:

Biological Product Definitions

Congratulations!

You have successfully completed the program: Biosimilars for Cancer Treatment: Are They Right for Me?