Information about biosimilar drugs for people with cancer
If you are being treated with a biologic drug, you may have heard about "biosimilars." BC Cancer began using biosimilars in the fall of 2019. Here's what you need to know if you are being treated with a biologic drug and want to learn more about biosimilars.
What are biosimilars?
Biosimilars are highly similar copies of a biologic drug that is already approved by Health Canada. The already approved biologic drug is called the reference biologic because it is the drug that the biosimilar is compared to. For example, there is a reference biologic called Neupogen® and one of the biosimilars for Neupogen is called Grastofil®.
- Biosimilars are not new and have been used in Canada since 2009 to treat diseases such as arthritis, Crohn's disease, and diabetes.
- Canada has used biosimilars since 2016 to treat the side effects of cancer treatments, and since 2019 to treat cancer. Many of the biosimilars used in Europe to treat cancer are now being used in Canada.
- Yes, because reference biologic drugs and biosimilars work the same way to treat your cancer. When transitioning from a reference biologic to a biosimilar, you can expect to have the same results and the same side effects.
- Health Canada compares each biosimilar with the reference biologic and will only approve the biosimilar if it works equally well to treat your health condition and is safe.
Biosimilars save money for our cancer system and give us options during drug shortages. We can provide the same quality of care to our patients for less cost and the money saved can be reinvested into our health care system.
Reference biologic drugs are protected by a patent. While reference biologic drugs are patent protected, only one company can sell that biologic, which makes it very expensive. As the patents for reference biologic drugs expire, other companies can request approval from Health Canada to sell biosimilars. Biosimilars are sold at a lower price, so the health care system saves money.
You can ask your health care team if you are taking a biosimilar.
