title: [Biological and bio-similar pharmaceuticals: understanding the problem].
abstract: The patent expiration of many biotechnology drugs has effectively opened to the pharmaceutical industry the possibility of producing biosimilar, allowing an expansion of the market and a reduction in costs and, therefore, allowing to extend the therapeutic benefits of biotechnological medicines to more patients. This is a new complex theme and many are the discussions promoted in the recent past years around this topic (what type of erythropoietin prescribe and when). The need to understand the argument emerges from the ongoing debate among doctors, researchers, regulators and manufacturers about the relationship between biotechnology patent medicines and Biosimilar. In this field is also necessary understand the provisions of the various Italian regions. In this article I have tried to avoid any statement which could be biased and I only reported data from official documents (AIFA, EMA,C.C. etc.), trying to "understand" the problem and trying to motivate the choice of nephrologist; at the end, the prescription is anyway under the responsibility of the nephrologist.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rapisarda
mesh_terms: D001688:Biological Products / Q000627:therapeutic use; D059451:Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017277:Drug Approval / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D001688:Biological Products; D059451:Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals