ARTICLES BY ANNA ROSE WELCH

• Will It Be Biologics Business As Usual In 2021, Or Will Biosimilars Mean Business?

  In this fourth installment of the Editorial Board 2021 Outlook, it's clear that stakeholders are relying more heavily on biosimilars and that it’s more important than ever for biosimilar companies to keep carrying the torch for more competition, cost-savings, value, and responsible pricing.

• From “Musty Towel” To “Golden Age:” Biosimilars In 2021 And Beyond

  The industry has certainly come a long way since the “great doubt” of 2019. However, I’d argue the biosimilar space still remains on the verge of transformation.

• Why COGs Will Demand More Attention From Biosimilar Makers

  Without continued innovation in the manufacturing and analytical components of biosimilar development, the biosimilar value proposition becomes less feasible for pharma manufacturers.

• How This Biotech Aims To Become A Biosimilar “Rock Star” In South Africa

  As you can imagine, getting established as a biotech boasting a unique expression system comes with its own set of challenges — especially when trying to enter a nascent biotech space in an emerging market. Here, one CEO discusses the strategies his company is exploring to gain buy-in on the company’s long-term goals in South Africa.

• Inside FDA’s Latest Biosimilar “Game Changing” Guidance

  Overall, there are three broad takeaways to both celebrate and consider about the FDA’s latest clarification of the biosimilar regulatory pathway as it relates to insulin biosimilars.

• Biosimilar Competition Is Here To Stay In 2020

  Though the U.S. hasn’t witnessed a biosimilar market explosion as many anticipated, uptake has slowly but surely been creeping upward. I’m far from alone in believing it’s too early to propose dismantling the biosimilar industry.

• Regulators Emphasize Patience In Tailored Biosimilar Development

  Though analytical comparability has been embraced by regulators for routine manufacturing changes since 1996, there remain what regulators consider to be analytical limitations giving them pause in determining biosimilarity strictly based on analytics and PK.

• Comparative Biosimilar Clinical Trials: More Questions Than Answers?

  As one expert said, though there are many reasons to praise clinical trials for their contributions to drug development, they may not always be the best method to answer some of the most important biosimilar questions we have today.

• The Debate On Standards In Biologics Development Heats Up

  Though it’s only natural to expect animated scientific discussion between the FDA and USP which have long been partners-in-science, I found myself caught off-guard by just how firmly the FDA has been putting its foot down and making its thoughts known on the role certain standards — in particular, USP monographs — should (or should not play) in biologics development.

• Two Biosimilar Policies Raise Questions About Reimbursement Consistency

  In the first of this two-part article, I’ll discuss two current policies that could impact biosimilars in the U.S. — in particular, coding evolutions and the pass-through status debate — and some of the yet-unanswered questions they raise about reimbursement consistency between biosimilars and their reference products.   

• Why 2018 Was The Year Of Real-World Evidence For Biosimilars

  Here we unpack some of the most impactful RWE releases or efforts implemented over the past year, as well as which of the biggest biosimilar questions were answered over the past year.

• Why This Biosimilar Initiative Is One To Watch In 2019

  When news came my way in early December that the Biosimilars Forum had established the Biosimilars Roundtable, which would be a working group comprising members of 40 different stakeholder organizations, I was thrilled.

• How Can The U.S. Government Take Ownership Of Biosimilars In 2019?

  Though the FDA has outlined many promising efforts to help the U.S. biosimilar market grow, the biosimilar industry’s public comments reveal an increasing need for the U.S. government healthcare agencies to take even greater charge of biosimilar policy in 2019.

• Biosimilars Vs. AbbVie So Far: “Humirapocalypse” Or Illusion?

  Humira is said to have recently won a national tender in the EU thanks to a startling 80 percent discount to the pre-biosimilar price tag. However, as the dust clears from the initial news, things are less clear-cut than they may have appeared.

• How The Regulatory Pathway Shapes Biosimilar Business Decisions

  A discussion regarding the challenging decisions Pfenex made in the past year regarding its biosimilar pipeline and the company’s efforts getting its teriparatide follow-on ready for the 505(b)(2) pathway.