Why carry out the study?

As a result of the high cost of biologics, there has been a push to move to biosimilars, which are similar to a biologic but sold at a much lower price.

Biologics and biosimilars are not identical in terms of structure, function, quality, clinical efficacy, and clinical safety; therefore, costs other than those associated with drug acquisition need to be considered.

In order to evaluate the true economic impact of introducing originator-to-biosimilar non-medical switching (NMS) policies in Canada, a systematic literature review (SLR) evaluating the healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs associated with originator-to-biosimilar NMS in the real-world setting was performed.

What was learned from the study?

Originator-to-biosimilar NMS may result in an increase in HCRU and HCRU-related costs, such that the expected cost savings associated with originator-to-biosimilar NMS may be greatly reduced.

Future economic evaluations on this topic need to consider the costs associated with additional HCRU, not just drug costs alone, in order to properly inform the decision to adopt a NMS policy.