Dr. Domchek on Potential Benefits of Biosimilars in Oncology

Susan Domchek, MD, director, MacDonald Women’s Cancer Risk Evaluation Center, executive director, the Basser Center for BRCA, and Basser Professor in Oncology, at Penn Medicine, discusses the potential benefits of biosimilars in oncology.

If a biosimilar demonstrates similarity in efficacy to the originator product and is likely to result in cost reduction, it should be considered a valuable addition to the field. Oncology treatment is very expensive, says Domchek. More focus needs to be placed on looking for ways to decrease the cost of cancer care while maintaining efficacy. If biosimilars are the means to that end, they should be embraced, she adds.

It is hard to estimate the cost differential between biosimilars and biologics because many biologics have yet to come off patient. However, the cost savings are going to be more evident across health systems than in relation to individual patients, explains Domchek. Even so, it will be important to educate patients on the differences between biosimilars, biologics, and generics.