title: Knowledge, behaviors and practices of community and hospital pharmacists towards biosimilar medicines: Results of a French web-based survey.
abstract: This study's aims were: 1) to extract a comprehensive overview of the knowledge, experience and opinions of both community pharmacists and hospital pharmacists regarding biosimilar medicines in France; and 2) to identify the perceived problems and solutions to promoting their prescription. A 2015 web-based survey was conducted by the Observatoire des Médicaments, des Dispositifs Médicaux et de l'Innovation Thérapeutique of Alsace. A total of 802 pharmacists responded to the survey. Many (536, 66.8%, [95% confidence interval (CI) 63.6-70.1]) indicated that they were not familiar with biosimilars. Half of community pharmacists (95% CI 42.7-57.3) stated that they were not at all informed about biosimilar drugs, compared with 15.7% (95% CI 12.9-18.6) of hospital pharmacists. Almost all respondents (781, 97.4%, [95% CI 96.3-98.5]) had at least one pending question on biosimilars. Most of the questions were related to the manufacturing process, safety, substitution rules and the international non-proprietary name prescription. At the time of the study, 467 pharmacists (58.2%, [95% CI 54.8-61.6]) had already validated a prescription for a biosimilar drug, mainly for filgrastim. These latter were more comfortable in explaining the benefit of biosimilar medicines to the patient. Pharmacists were rather favorable to biosimilar drugs, and about 9 of 10 quoted healthcare cost savings as incentives to their prescription. However, many did not agree with allowing biosimilar substitution. "Patients' wishes to be treated with the originator" and "indication extrapolation" were the two main constraints identified. The survey highlighted the need to provide French pharmacists with accurate and comprehensive information regarding biosimilar medicines.
authors.affiliation: a OMEDIT Alsace, Agence Régionale de Santé Alsace Champagne-Ardenne Lorraine , Strasbourg , France.
authors.forename: Morgane
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.affiliation: a OMEDIT Alsace, Agence Régionale de Santé Alsace Champagne-Ardenne Lorraine , Strasbourg , France.|b Service de Pharmacie-Stérilisation, C.H.R.U. Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg , Strasbourg , France.|c Laboratoire HuManiS (EA 7308), Faculté de pharmacie, Université de Strasbourg , Strasbourg , France.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Michel
authors.affiliation: a OMEDIT Alsace, Agence Régionale de Santé Alsace Champagne-Ardenne Lorraine , Strasbourg , France.
authors.forename: Marie-Christine
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Rybarczyk-Vigouret
authors.affiliation: b 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: d Service de Rhumatologie, C.H.R.U. Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg , Strasbourg , France.
authors.forename: Christelle
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sordet
authors.affiliation: d Service de Rhumatologie, C.H.R.U. Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg , Strasbourg , France.
authors.forename: Jean
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sibilia
authors.affiliation: e 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; D059451:Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010595:Pharmacists; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D059451:Biosimilar Pharmaceuticals
keywords: Biosimilar medicine; community pharmacist; experience; hospital pharmacist; knowledge; opinion; survey