The use of biologics and biosimilars is rapidly growing. What will it mean for medical affairs and medical science liaison teams?

How Do Traditional Drugs and Biologics Differ?

Medical and scientific professionals know that biologics are manufactured from living microorganisms such as a plant or animal cells. Some examples include hormones, blood products, and vaccines. Drugs on the other hand, generally have well-defined chemical structures. To qualify as a generic drug, it must have the same strength, dosage form, and route of administration as the reference drug, and be bioequivalent. Whether a drug or a biologic, when a treatment hits the market the cost of the therapy can be expensive. Biologics are some of the most expensive drug treatments available, costing tens of thousands per year. Although many insurance plans cover biologics at some level, patients typically have to pay a percentage of the cost.

What Are Biosimilars and Why Do We Need Them?

In the simplest sense, biosimilars are generic biologics that are very similar in structure to their corresponding biologic. They help to increase the number of treatment options available, which creates competition. For patients, this means they have more options for high-quality treatments at a more affordable cost. Beyond the cost savings biosimilars may offer to patients, it’s important for healthcare providers to understand the science behind the treatments. Healthcare providers (HCPs) often confuse biosimilars, comparing them to traditional generic drugs. While the chemical structure of generic drugs are identical to their corresponding brand name drug, biosimilars are ‘similar’ but not identical and they are sourced from a biological source.

What Do MSLs Need to Know About Biologics and Biosimilars?

The medical science liaison, or MSL, is crucial in educating healthcare providers about new biologic and biosimilar treatments.In fact, biosimilar companies employ entire MSL teams to do just that. Biologics and biosimilars area is a quickly growing market. Medical affairs teams need to ensure up to date knowledge about the different therapies, and the science behind them. Medical science liaisons are the gatekeeper between new therapies and clinical research, and the healthcare provider who finally finds the right treatment for their patient. It takes a collaborative team to create a therapy, bring it to market, and get it to patients. The MSL’s specific role requires advanced scientific skills and the ability to discern the right therapies for different disease states. It’s important to be able to effectively communicate the benefits, cost savings, and the science behind biosimilar treatments to key stakeholders.

Why Better Biologics and Biosimilars Education Is Needed

This year is an important year for biosimilar treatments as one of the most popular biologic drugs, Humira® will go off patent and have several biosimilar equivalents come to market. For MSLs and medical affairs professionals, helping the HCP community understand the important clinical considerations and benefits of using biosimilars and biologics over traditional therapies will be an important step in improving patient outcomes where biologics or biosimilars demonstrate superior efficacy. Additionally, biosimilar adoption will vary by several factors including therapeutic area, site of care (ie., in-patient vs. out-patient), treatment type/goals, and financial considerations (e.g., buy and bill). Educational initiatives aimed at helping adhere to a standard is an important step in ensuring that there is uniformity and harmonization of knowledge across the healthcare and life sciences industry regarding biologics and biosimilars. Over 15 years later, biologics and biosimilars have grown to become a greater treatment option for physicians. Supportive educational initiatives will play a key role in ensuring adequate adoption of these innovative products in years to come.

The Expanding Role of MSLs

The ACMA is dedicated to raising the bar of excellence across the board for the pharmaceutical industry. With biologics and biosimilars, there is no exception. It’s crucial medical science liaisons and medical affairs teams continue to uplevel their skillsets with the latest tools and knowledge. Make sure to grab a free copy of our e-book, The Definitive Guide for Medical Science Liaisons.