Dr. Hurvitz on the Clinical Use of Biosimilars in Oncology

Sara A. Hurvitz, MD, director of the Breast Oncology Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the clinical use of biosimilars in oncology.

As of 2018, the only biosimilar that is being used in clinical practice in the US is the filgrastim (Neupogen) biosimilar. Hurvitz says that she gives her patients the biosimilar of filgrastim, as it is a more affordable version, and it has met the biosimilarity criteria required by the FDA.

Biosimilars for trastuzumab (Herceptin) and bevacizumab (Avastin) have been FDA approved, but the originator drugs are not yet off patent, so they are not available in the US for clinical use. Moreover, there is pending litigation regarding the patents, so it may be a few years before these biosimilars are used in the US as a treatment for cancer, Hurvitz concludes.