The First Class of Biosimilars to Enter the US Market Will Generate $1.8 Billion by 2023

Decision Resources Group finds that sales of biosimilar versions of the granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs) filgrastim, which is currently pending FDA approval, and pegfilgrastim could reach $1.8 billion in the US by 2023. Medical oncologists and hematologist-oncologists surveyed in France and Germany indicated that they would prescribe future biosimilar G-CSFs, such as pegfilgrastim, to a significantly higher percentage of eligible patients compared with biosimilars of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs).

Other key findings from the Biosimilars Advisory Service report entitled Physician Perspectives on Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factors and Monoclonal Antibodies in Oncology:

• Rate of biosimilar uptake by oncologists: A greater proportion of surveyed oncologists indicated that they expect to start prescribing biosimilar G-CSFs within 6 months of availability, compared with biosimilar MAbs.
• Biosimilar preference: The majority of surveyed oncologists indicated that they have a preferred biosimilar filgrastim product and that preference is driven by which manufacturer they trust most.
• Influence of regulatory approval: The proportion of surveyed oncologists that indicated that regulatory approval would not allay all of their concerns about equivalence between a biosimilar and the reference brand was higher for MAbs than for G-CSFs.

Comments from Decision Resources Group Senior Director of Biosimilars Research Kate Keeping: "Filgrastim biosimilars have performed well in Europe, with sales exceeding the reference product in many countries. Now those biosimilars are on the verge of entering the US market where we expect US oncologists to swiftly adopt these tried and tested lower-cost alternatives to Amgen's Neupogen."

"Surveyed oncologists' responses indicated that they view the use of biosimilars differently in a therapeutic setting, compared with a supportive-care setting."