A Successful Model of Biosimilar Adoption in a Community Oncology Practice

A comprehensive, team-based biosimilar adoption model in a community oncology practice demonstrated successful conversion from brand drugs to biosimilars that was associated with substantial cost-savings.

A comprehensive, team-based model for biosimilar adoption in a community oncology practice was described at the 2021 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting.

A biosimilar adoption model developed by Texas Oncology in collaboration with McKesson Specialty Health utilized a comprehensive team approach that involved creation of educational materials on biosimilar conversion for patients and clinical staff, communication distributed to all personnel, and pharmacy-led review of all new orders and substitution with a biosimilar when applicable, as well as weekly identification of existing patients who would benefit from switching.

Applying the biosimilar adoption model from January 2020 to December 2020 led to a significant increase in the utilization of biosimilars, from 5% to 80% for rituximab, from 9% to 88% for bevacizumab, and from 8% to 74% for trastuzumab. The potential cost-savings due to conversion to these 3 biosimilars was $550 per administration for bevacizumab, $850 for trastuzumab, and $1400 for rituximab (based on Average Sales Price for a 70-kg patient). This translated to a cost reduction of $4 million or 21% in 1 month. The use of biosimilar multidose vials versus single-dose vials provided additional savings.

The authors demonstrated that a comprehensive team-based biosimilar adoption model was feasible and allowed successful conversion to biosimilars in a community oncology practice, and that it was associated with substantial cost-savings and ultimately lent itself to value-based cancer care.

Source: Wilfong LS, Dave N, Garey JS, et al. A successful model of biosimilar adoption in a community oncology practice. J Clin Oncol. 2021;39(suppl_15):6514.