Why Has the US Biosimilar Experience Not Yet Lived Up to the Hype?

Why Has the US Biosimilar Experience Not Yet Lived Up to the Hype?

Biosimilar patent and antitrust litigation has been heating up over the past five years. When the first biosimilar was approved in the US in 2015, many health care observers eagerly awaited the price reductions that were expected to follow. Yet substantial market penetration has not materialized, nor has biosimilars’ limited presence in the market resulted in dramatic price reductions. Given this experience, it is appropriate to ask whether the comparison between biosimilar and generic pharmaceutical penetration is warranted; and if not, why not? This panel will examine intellectual property and competition challenges associated with biosimilar introduction, as well as strategic issues facing originator biologic manufacturers as they face impending biosimilar entry.