Incentives for Using Biosimilars in France and Europe: Analysis, Assessment and Perspectives

OBJECTIVES: Analysis, assessment, and perspectives of incentives for biosimilars’use in Europe.

METHODS: Grey literature completed by experts’ committees (public health medicine Professor and hospital practitioners Professors)

RESULTS: With an annual growth twice as fast as the medicinal products market, biologics represent 35% of pharmaceutical spending in Europe. Use of biosimilars is an important source of savings for health systems. In France, a study conducted by IQVIA showed that biosimilars provided a €2.4 billion saving between 2012 and 2022. According to French Health insurance, €100 million could be saved each year with an 80% rate of biosimilars market penetration.

Ireland, England, Germany and Spain have also deployed efficient incentives. Their mechanisms and implementation vary, making it difficult to replicate them in other countries.

However, the adoption of biosimilars in these countries depends on incentives that are often based on the sharing of value between prescribers and health authorities and makes it possible to generate savings for health systems.

Simplicity, legibility, hospital and prescribers’ benefits, and authorities support may be considered to be components favoring the success of the next incentives. Their mechanisms will need to consider and adapt to patient’s situation, treatment objectives and prescribing practices. Levers that may expedite market penetration of biosimilars are clearly identified by experts: influence of the hospital, biosimilar knowledge, scientific studies based on real-life health data.

CONCLUSIONS: In Europe, incentivizing the use of biosimilars is part of the effort towards cost effective prescribing, and access needs to be guaranteed; Furthermore, incentives must continue to motivate their prescription, and to anticipate the arrival of future biosimilars.