Not So Different: A Podcast From The Center For Biosimilars

The recent weeks and months have seen a number of policy proposals from the Trump administration that impact community oncologists. On this week's podcast, Laura Joszt, associate editorial director of The Center for Biosimilars®, caught up with Ted Okon, MBA, executive director of the Community Oncology Alliance.

Last year, biosimilar developer Pfizer submitted a citizen petition to the FDA in which it called on the agency to issue guidance clarifying how drug sponsors can communicate about biosimilars. After the petition was filed, The Center for Biosimilars® invited an expert group of stakeholders to discuss misinformation about biosimilars as well as what steps are necessary to root out and address misinformation. This time on the podcast, we’re sharing a portion of that discussion with our listeners. 

This week on the podcast, we're speaking with Civica Rx’s Heather Wall. She’s the organization’s chief commercial officer, and was recently named one of Modern Heatlhcare’s women leaders to watch.

Those who follow the biosimilars space closely are aware that, in the context of the US market, legal concerns regarding biosimilars can be just as regulatory ones in informing how drug makers do business.  One recent case that impacts on upon the biosimilars market was recently heard before the before the United States Supreme Court, and the outcome of the case will potentially impact drug makers seek patent protection for various aspects of their products. In order to take a deeper dive into the case, and hear an expert perspective on its far-reaching impacts, this week, we’re speaking with Ha Kung Wong, JD, a partner at Venable LLP and an advisory board member for The Center for Biosimilars.®

Recently, a new systematic review evaluating US and European provider awareness of biosimilars found a persistent lack of education on both sides of the Atlantic. This week, The Center for Biosimilars® is speaking with Sonia T. Oskouei, PharmD, one of the authors of the review, about the findings.

2018 was a banner year for biosimilars, both in the United States and abroad. In this episode of the podcast, Laura Joszt, associate editorial director of The American Journal of Managed Care, interviews The Center for Biosimilars’ senior editor, Kelly Davio, about the key developments in biosimilars last year.

This season on the podcast, we’re bringing you the news you need to stay up to date on the key issues facing biosimilars. In this episode, we’ll talk about what’s new in biosimilar regulation.

Recently, Louis Tharp, the cofounder and executive director of the patient advocacy organization the Global Healthy Living Foundation, visited our studios in New Jersey to talk about how high drug costs impact patients with rheumatic diseases, and how biosimilars can be part of the solution. What follows is a portion of our discussion about biologics, biosimilars, and the patient's viewpoint.

Among the great promises of biosimilar therapies is their ability to not only reduce costs for patients and healthcare systems, but to make room in budgets for spending on other high-cost drugs, especially in treating cancer.  This week on “Not So Different,” our guest is Ali McBride, PharmD, MS, BCPS. McBride is pharmacist who serves as the Clinical Coordinator for Hematology and Oncology at The University of Arizona Cancer Center. He’s also the lead author of a recent study that showed that using biosimilar filgrastim can expand patients’ access to treatment with obinutuzumab.

This week on the podcast, we’re pleased to welcome our guest, Leigh Purvis, MPA. Purvis is the director of health services research at AARP’s public policy institute. Her work focuses on a variety of prescription drug and mental health-related issue, with an emphasis on prescription drug pricing, biologic drugs, and prescription drug coverage under Medicare.  Purvis joined us by phone to talk about the challenges that Medicare beneficiaries face with respect to obtaining and paying for their biologic drugs, and about the policies that AARP hopes to see implemented in the days ahead.

This week, we're delving into the world of supportive care and anticancer biosimilars with an oncology expert, Robert M. Rifkin, MD, FACP.

Today, we're talking about state-level legislation concerning the substitution of interchangeable biosimilars, and how 1 specific piece of biosimilars-focused legislation led to the formation of the Nebraska Rheumatology Society. Our guest this week is Marcus Snow, MD, a rheumatologist at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, and assistant professor of rheumatology at the University of Nebraska. 

Episode 5: Policy and Biosimilars by The Center for Biosimilars

Episode 4: Creating a Vibrant Biosimilars Market by The Center for Biosimilars

Episode 3: Pricing by The Center for Biosimilars

Episode 2: Nonmedical Switching by The Center for Biosimilars

Episode 1: Interchangeability by The Center for Biosimilars