Biosimilars in oncology: current and future perspectives

Cancer represents a significant, and growing, burden on healthcare systems. This is driven, at least in part, by escalating cancer drug budgets. Loss of patent protection on biopharmaceuticals enables the development and production of similar biological medicines, or biosimilars. Biosimilars are currently available for use in oncology in the supportive care setting; the focus of biosimilar development is likely to switch to agents such as monoclonal antibodies. Available evidence indicates that biosimilars approved by regulatory authorities offer a safe and effective alternative to originator biological therapies. They also offer potentially significant cost savings to healthcare payers. The greater affordability of biosimilars may also result in clinical benefits, through earlier and wider appropriate therapy use and release of funding to be used elsewhere in clinical care. Greater adoption of biosimilars represents a key approach to reducing healthcare expenditure and improving patient access to important treatments.