title: Rheumatologists' Perceptions of Biosimilar Medicines Prescription: Findings from a French Web-Based Survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Healthcare cost savings are closely linked to prescribers' confidence in and acceptance of the prescription of biosimilar drugs.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge, experience and opinions of hospital-based and office-based French rheumatologists with regard to biosimilar medicines and to identify the barriers to and possible options to promote their prescription.
  
  
  METHODS
  A web-based, self-administered survey was conducted among French rheumatologists from June 8 to August 2, 2015.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 116 rheumatologists responded to the survey. Many reported having little knowledge and a lack of available information about biosimilar drugs, especially office-based rheumatologists. 98.3% of the respondents had at least one question about biosimilars, and seven in ten raised issues regarding substitution, iatrogenic effects or cost savings that might be achievable. Only eight rheumatologists had already prescribed a biosimilar drug. The most common barriers reported were indication extrapolation and a lack of data about tolerability. Nine out of ten physicians thought that starting a treatment with a biosimilar drug in biologic treatment-naïve patients was possible. The rheumatologists' opinions were rather favorable towards the implementation of biosimilars, but a majority expressed a negative opinion about substitution by the pharmacist.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our survey gave a better appreciation of the concerns associated with biosimilar prescriptions. Targeted communication initiatives, deeper experience and availability of new clinical data may help to address the outstanding questions and should overcome the misunderstandings surrounding biosimilar drugs among rheumatologists.
authors.affiliation: OMEDIT Alsace, Agence Régionale de Santé Alsace Champagne-Ardenne Lorraine, 14, rue du Maréchal Juin, 67084, Strasbourg, France. Morgane.BECK@ars.sante.fr.
authors.forename: Morgane
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6877-7022
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.affiliation: OMEDIT Alsace, Agence Régionale de Santé Alsace Champagne-Ardenne Lorraine, 14, rue du Maréchal Juin, 67084, Strasbourg, France.|Service de Pharmacie-Stérilisation, C.H.R.U. Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.|Laboratoire HuManiS-EA 7308, Faculté de pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.affiliation: OMEDIT Alsace, Agence Régionale de Santé Alsace Champagne-Ardenne Lorraine, 14, rue du Maréchal Juin, 67084, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rybarczyk-Vigouret
authors.affiliation: Service de Pharmacie-Stérilisation, C.H.R.U. Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Levêque
authors.affiliation: Service de Rhumatologie, C.H.R.U. Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Christelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sordet
authors.affiliation: Service de Rhumatologie, C.H.R.U. Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sibilia
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'épidémiologie et de santé publique-EA3430, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Velten
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D059451:Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000072140:Rheumatologists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D059451:Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals