Biosimilars Series: Strategic issues - Potential remains uncertain

Abstract

Overview

Introduction

Significant barriers to entry into the biosimilars market exist. High up-front investment and the need for specific expertise favor big players. Understanding of the marketplace is critical for success acceptance by key stakeholders is crucial for market uptake of biosimilars and achieving preferential reimbursement status through constant review of the pricing strategy is desirable.

Scope of this report

• In-depth analysis of factors influencing market uptake of biosimilars
• Analysis of the pricing and reimbursement environment for biosimilars
• Detailed analysis of barriers to entry and strategies for success in the biosimilar market
• Overview of strategies for originators' market share protection

Research and analysis highlights

Lack of automatic substitution with biosimilars means that intense promotion strategies need to be employed. Market uptake of biosimilars is highly dependent on acceptance by all key stakeholders especially physicians. All stakeholders need to be informed about biosimilars and various channels can be used.

Payers' reaction to biosimilars is not known, but it is expected they will embrace them after a lag period. Standard incentives used to encourage generics use may not be applicable to biosimilars distributed in hospitals and alternative approaches need to be used.

Barriers to entry remain high: high development and marketing costs compounded with the need for specialist expertise favor big players with strong financial backing and experience in branded generics industry. However smaller specialist players are well positioned to enter this market through co-development and co-marketing agreements.

Key reasons to read this report