Applied health economics and health policy
-
Appl Health Econ Health Policy · Jun 2014
Biosimilar granulocyte colony-stimulating factor uptakes in the EU-5 markets: a descriptive analysis.
Biosimilars are copies of biological reference medicines. Unlike generics (copies of chemical molecules), biologics are complex, expensive and complicated to produce. The knowledge of the factors affecting the competition following patent expiry for biologics remains limited. ⋯ The competition with G-CSF biosimilars varies significantly between EU-5 countries, probably because of G-CSF distribution channel differences. Currently, this competition is not mainly based on prices, but on local political options to stimulate tendering between them and recently branded second- or third-generation products.