The European Perspective and History on Biosimilars for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Virginia Solitano; Ferdinando D'Amico; Leonardo Da Rio; Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet; Silvio Danese

doi:10.1093/crocol/otab012

The European Perspective and History on Biosimilars for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Crohns Colitis 360. 2021 Feb 23;3(1):otab012. doi: 10.1093/crocol/otab012. eCollection 2021 Jan.

Authors

Virginia Solitano¹, Ferdinando D'Amico^{1

2}, Leonardo Da Rio¹, Laurent Peyrin-Biroulet², Silvio Danese^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Sciences, Humanitas University, Pieve Emanuele, Milan, Italy.
² Department of Gastroenterology and Inserm NGERE U1256, University Hospital of Nancy, University of Lorraine, Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France.
³ Department of Gastroenterology, IBD Center, Humanitas Clinical and Research Center, IRCCS, Rozzano, Milan, Italy.

Abstract

With the expiration of biologics' patents, biosimilars entered the market as a promising opportunity to reduce health-care costs in the field of inflammatory bowel diseases. Although biosimilars were initially poorly accepted, the growing evidence about their efficacy and safety has changed this situation, resulting in their widespread use. However, there is still an unmet need of improving patients' education about biosimilars to minimize nocebo responses and to accept nonmedical switching. Looking to the future, the use of recently authorized adalimumab biosimilars and the first attempts of adopting different strategies of switching (eg, cross-, multiple-) will fill some residual knowledge gaps.

Keywords: Europe; biosimilars; inflammatory bowel diseases; switching.

Publication types

Review