Rapid uptake of biosimilars expected in US

Adoption of biosimilars is expected to be rapid in the US - at least in the field of nephrology.

Adoption of biosimilars is expected to be rapid in the US - at least in the field of nephrology.

A survey of nephrologists, conducted by BioTrends Research Group, found that more than 60 per cent plan to start prescribing the biosimilar epoetin alfa within 12 months of the drug's launch.
Comparable rates of uptake have already been recorded in Germany, where nephrologists have embraced the biosimilar.
Dr Andrew Merron, director of the Biosimilars Advisory Service, revealed that US nephrologists expect to prescribe the biosimilar darbepoetin alfa to a greater proportion of eligible patients than their counterparts in France and Germany.
"This suggests that biosimilar erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) will experience deeper, as well as more rapid, market penetration in the United States than we've seen in Europe as a whole," he suggested.
However, adoption of biosimilar insulins by endocrinologists is not expected to be as rapid, with their market share forecast to reach just eight per cent by 2021, compared with 36 per cent for ESAs across the US, Europe and Japan.