Biosimilars to Infliximab Show Slow Uptake in U.S.

Treating inflammatory bowel disease incurs significant cost, much of which is related to medical therapy. The introduction of biosimilars was expected to provide substantial cost savings to the healthcare system. While utilization around the world in the last 5 years has been robust, the experience in the U.S. is not clear. Researchers examining Medicare quarterly claims data found that biosimilar prescriptions comprised only 10% of infliximab product claims in the first 2 years after introduction (2017–2018). During this time, reimbursement costs fell 17%. Seventy-three percent of physicians did not prescribe any biosimilars at all.