Why biosimilars are important?

If you’re like most people, you might have never heard of biosimilars before. And if you’re like me, there’s a good chance that every time someone mentions the term your mind starts to wander and suddenly it’s 10 minutes later and your brain is filled with thoughts of cats wearing hats.

But stay with me here! Because in reality, biosimilars are actually super important. So let’s talk about them!

What Exactly Are Biosimilars?

Ok, so first things first – what ARE these mysterious things called “biosimilars”?

The short answer is that they’re basically drugs that are designed to be very similar (AKA “similar”) to other drugs called biologics which are used for treating all sorts of diseases such as cancer and arthritis.

Biologics themselves are created from living organisms (think bacteria or yeast) which make them incredibly complex molecules. This complexity makes them pretty challenging to reproduce exactly thanks not only to the variability / flexibility in how the molecules work but also due to some seriously draconian patent protections out there.

So instead we have biosimilar drugs which can’t be an exact copy cat replication ruse for biologic treatments (because patents – boo!). Instead they aim to mimic these original reference products as closely as humanly possible without incurring an angry horde of intellectual property attorneys being sic’d on ’em.

How Do They Compare To The Original Biologics?

One big advantage? They tend toward having lower price points compared their originals!

And since many health insurance companies/ universal healthcare plans favor less expensive treatments over expensive ones whenever feasible (such steely pragmatics!), these lower-cost medications mean patients can save quite a bit on cost overall. A very positive outcome considering nothing about medical care should broke-ify anyone who is already sick because ‘Murica or anywhere else.

It’s true though that some biosimilars might be less effective than the reference drugs, however regulatory bodies (we’re looking at you FDA and EMA) often conduct incredibly rigorous safety testing with these copies before allowing them to go to market / become available for use by doctors out in the wild.

So rest assured – while you can’t expect a one-two special-ingredient-fusion knock-out punch from biosimilars necessarily, they should still get[s] the job done!

Plus, there’s always an added bonus of an increased supply of similar drugs eventually being available which can help reduce any bottlenecks or shortages around getting patients treated as well!

Why Is Accessibility To Biosimilars Important?

The more medication choices people have, the better off we all are health-wise. And since biologic medications are typically anything but cheap (let’s not mention actual prices here because then I’d have nightmares), having affordable access to similarly-typed options is important.

For certain types of diseases such as cancer where newer groundbreaking treatments come other highly-specialized downstream technologies come with stratospheric financial costs- without cheaper alternatives,, it’s an expensive uphill battle for those needing care whose wallets don’t run deep enough – this doesn’t even take into account accessibility challenges faced by patients from lower social/cultural economic classes(who historically die more frequently from under-treating due wages/proximity/actuarial isolation)

Therefore enabling greater drug-price fluctuation so we see broader pricing differentials wouldn’t just make things affordable but could quite literally mean life-saving outcomes for many who may otherwise struggle financially- both now as well as into their future.

How Are They Revitalizing The World Of Medicine?

At present there exists plenty research opportunities within cells & genetic engineering systems on molecular antibodies , nucleic acid based therapy (mRNA etc.) or cell therapy platforms(DAR-T etc.)

This is because biosimilar development could help spur increased investment in research by pharmaceutical firms who themselves need to innovate, iterate and create new medications that keep the money flowing.

since many biologic patents are solely owned for years, decades even- this enables very little overal head-to-head competition across these markets. With more affordable and available drug options available overall though we might ultimately see a greater diversity of treatments being researched (and making their way through clinical trials – yayy!).

Just as one example so people don’t lose sleep over bore-do-mom / off topic ramblings which I’ve put them through so far…

The Game-Changing Biosimilars: Trastuzumab

Trastuzumab or Herceptin is probably one of the most well known biologics out there designed specifically for treating certain types of breast cancer tumors which may over express HER2 proteins on its surface (more informally speaking “HER2-positive” type cancers).

The problem with original reference has always been how dang expensive it was. This then came around to impact young women who were diagnosed with HER2+ breast cancer at younger ages. Getting an IV infusion once every three weeks can be draining emotionally & psychologically & financially not only for patients themselves but on families too! A single cycle itself can set you back tens-of-thousands-of-dollars 🤑💰🙅‍♀️💸!

Thankfully biosimilars in recent times have began hitting US/EU-Australian shores offering significantly reduced-costs when compared to branded Herceptin.

For Women with metastatic disease especially if insurance won’t cover all Medicare costs – this isn’t just beneficial from a feasible medicine standpoint but also helps mitigate eventual long-term financial collapse caused by medical bills totaling into hundreds-of-thousands / millions instead !

And let’s face it, cancer itself can be emotionally and physically exhausting enough without having to deal with the crippling costs of treatment.

Let’s Sum This Up

Phew – we made it! We’ve covered a lot of ground here.

We started by explaining what biosimilars are (sort of like biologic-copies – at least that’s my level of understanding) and how they compare to their reference drugs; talked about why accessibility to biosimilars was important including helping people avoid high medical bills particularly when certain diseases come attached with even more expensive downstream therapies or end-of-life scenarios which already have huge unease levels associated…; we touched upon some ways these medications could help stimulate future research in the industry overall, because not all individuals who need biotherapeutics necessarily have affordable choices but also existing ones at times may results leading researchers themselves fall into complacency also- stifling innovation + creativity overall; had a look at an example agent Herceptin/TRastuzumab & specially whom such modulations targeting HER2+ tumors benefit(personally I feel talking about this one drug buys immense value-add via relevance for women esp., fighting breast cancer).

We hope you’re all now convinced as to just how important biosimilars are in modern medicine 💪. Whether they’re providing cost-effective options, paving the way for further investment in research or revolutionizing treatments within oncology care specifically– they quite literally bring a life-saving advantage- hopefully governments/nationalized health carriers/family members will recognize the benefits behind open access lowering prices and increasing patient protection/accessibility!