Practical challenges and considerations in adopting biosimilars in oncology clinical practice within a large healthcare system

Abstract

Introduction: Biosimilars have the potential to offer cost savings with comparable efficacy and safety to innovator products and, thus, increase access to treatment for more patients. However, there were significant challenges in the acceptance of oncology biosimilars in our organization in the beginning which we addressed by implementing practical strategies described in the paper.

Areas covered: While much of the published literature places an emphasis on the pharmacoeconomic impact of biosimilars, this paper is a novel addition to the literature because it provides practical experience and detailed processes for the formulary adoption and implementation of oncology biosimilars along with a focus on their pharmacoeconomic impact, education of oncology healthcare professionals, pharmacovigilance, and integration into the electronic health record. A narrative literature review was conducted to identify the existing evidence on biosimilar adoption and implementation in the oncology setting.

Expert opinion: Healthcare organizations must establish a consistent method for assessing and adopting oncology biosimilars to increase efficiency and coordination among the many team members responsible for their introduction into clinical practice. Conducting medication use evaluations and real-world evidence studies of biosimilars can help in building trust among healthcare professionals and patients in biosimilars.

Keywords: Oncology biosimilars; electronic health records; formulary management; pharmacists; pharmacovigilance; products; real-world evidence.