Canadian Biosimilars Forum Applauds Government of New Brunswick’s New Policy to Increase Uptake of Biosimilars, Creating an Opportunity for Better Patient Care
The Canadian Biosimilars Forum applauds the Government of New Brunswick for today’s announcement of a new policy that will lead to significant health system savings and the opportunity for improved patient care. By transitioning patients currently using a reference biologic drug to a biosimilar, New Brunswick has the opportunity to secure significant savings that could be reinvested in broader access to existing therapies and faster access to new medicines.
“We are pleased to see the Government of New Brunswick implement a policy that can help broaden access to more affordable high-quality treatment options for patients,” said Jennifer Chan, a Board member of the Forum and Vice President, Policy and External Affairs at Merck Canada.
New Brunswick is in good company
New Brunswick is the third province to announce an evidence-based biosimilars switching policy, following British Columbia and Alberta’s moves in 2019 and joining many countries across Europe. The success of these policies is quickly making them the standard in Canada as governments look to capture much-needed savings while still providing patients and physicians access to similar high-quality treatments.
“We believe in the clinical value biosimilars can bring to patients and in financial benefit that comes when savings from biosimilars are reinvested in provincial healthcare systems,” said Karine Matteau, a board member of the Forum and Vice-President, Hospitals and Physician Channels and Head of Biosimilars at Sandoz Canada.
Patients can expect no differences in efficacy and safety following a routine switch to a biosimilar
Biosimilars are effective medicines that treat diseases like cancer, diabetes, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Biologic medicines are larger and more complex molecules than traditional pharmaceutical drugs and come from living organisms or from their cells. Biosimilars are biologic medicines that have been approved by Health Canada after a rigorous and evidence-based review process.
Every biosimilar must demonstrate its similarity to another biologic medicine that is already available in the Canadian marketplace and no longer protected by a patent. As Health Canada says: “Our rigorous standards for authorization mean that you can have the same confidence in the quality, efficacy and safety of a biosimilar as in any other biologic drug.” Furthermore, Health Canada clearly states that “no differences are expected in efficacy and safety following a change in routine use between a biosimilar and its reference biologic drug in an authorized indication.”
Additional Resources
From the Government of New Brunswick: