Improving access, prolonging lives: why the need for Biosimilars

Last August 1, 2019 Mylan one of the most committed company in searching for an effective and affordable medicine on most of the killer disease such as cancer.  With the supervision and approval of Department of Health. Biosimilars was launched and considered as effective as the medicine being given to cancer patients.

The statistics do not lie --  breast cancer remains the No. 1 killer for women in the Philippines, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and the Department of Health (DOH)¹. One of 13 Filipinas is expected to develop breast cancer in her lifetime and the number is increasing by 7% each year²[AL1] [VCM2] .

One positive development though is that cancer therapy has evolved significantly with the introduction of biologic agents, which are basically medicines that come from living cells and have been proven to improve survival and prognosis in a variety of cancers including both metastatic and early breast cancer.

Cost, however, will always be a barrier to proper access to the right medicine.  The cost of harnessing and producing biologics can be prohibitive for the majority and only those with means can access it. In the Philippines, where the Universal Health Care has yet to take effect, cancer treatment is still a non-reimbursable expense, leaving the average patient afflicted with the disease unable to get the chance to prolong her life, or find eventual cure.

Now, more than ever, there is reason to hope.  There is a way to overcome the seemingly insurmountable cost barrier.   A greater number of patients may survive breast cancer through innovative treatment options like biosimilars -- medical products which have to undergo a rigorous manufacturing and clinical testing process to demonstrate efficacy and safety which is similar to the original biologic.  The efficacy of biosimilars is similar to that of the original biologic. However, their price is significantly lower than the originator.

“There are a lot of treatment options available now which can be personalized according to the patients’ needs, unlike 15-20 years ago,” says Dr.Christina Galvez, medical oncologist at St. Luke’s Medical Center Global City.  “Now that biosimilars are coming in, expanded and timely access to highly effective cancer treatment is now possible for a greater number of patients, thereby providing our patients with better survival outcomes at a much more affordable cost.”  

“Biosimilars are bringing us closer to the goal of cancer cure,” Dr. Galvez concluded.*

                                                         

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 [AL1]I checked the reference provided but did not find 7% mentioned anywhere

 [VCM2]It did not mention but it was extrapolated.