title: Biosimilars for the management of rheumatoid arthritis: economic considerations.
abstract: Biologic drugs have proved highly effective for the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA). These drugs are often considered cost-effective for well-defined RA patient populations not responding adequately to conventional treatment, but are used first-line relatively rarely, partly due to high costs. Furthermore, not all clinically eligible patients can access biologics even as second-line therapy. Recently, there has been a rise in interest in 'biosimilar' drugs that are highly comparable to the 'reference medicinal product' (RMP) in terms of efficacy and safety but may generally be lower in price. This review summarizes the cost burden of RA and considers the potential role of biosimilars in reducing drug costs and increasing patient access to biologics.
authors.affiliation: a 1 Department of Health Economics, Corvinus University Budapest, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: László
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gulácsi
authors.affiliation: a 1 Department of Health Economics, Corvinus University Budapest, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Valentin
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brodszky
authors.affiliation: a 1 Department of Health Economics, Corvinus University Budapest, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Baji
authors.affiliation: b 2 Celltrion, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: HoUng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: b 2 Celltrion, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Su Yeon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: b 2 Celltrion, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yu Young
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.affiliation: a 1 Department of Health Economics, Corvinus University Budapest, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Márta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Péntek
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics; D059451:Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D016527:Drug Costs; D006801:Humans; D000069285:Infliximab / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018803:Models, Economic; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D059451:Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals; C000591237:CT-P13; D000069285:Infliximab
keywords: CT-P13; biosimilar; budget savings; cost–effectiveness; pharmacoeconomics; rheumatoid arthritis