OBJECTIVES: In the light of the austerity drives and cost containment practices, payers increasingly resort to procurement procedures in order to award contracts for the supply of both conventional drugs and biosimilars. The tough reality of health care economics in conjunction with the commitment of large generic manufacturers, who continue to invest despite the challenges, may mean that tendering of biosimilars may actually be a tool to increase biosimilars’ market share by demonstrating price competitiveness.This study aims to evaluate how initial list price, together with other considerations about efficacy and safety, could influence the hospital formulary inclusion of new biosimilar drugs  in the UK.  METHODS: A data framework was developed from secondary research of existing biosimilar list prices, product profiles, clinical data submitted and current landscape.  The framework was validated through phone-based interviews across different regions in the UK (n=10) targeting Hospital procurement Pharmacists in 2011 RESULTS: Majority of respondents indicated price to be the primary criteria for formulary inclusion although some pharmacists highlighted efficacy and safety parameters as influencing factors CONCLUSIONS: The development of clinical commissioning consortia and the expansion of the biosimilar market as major biologicals come off patent mean that more decisions about biosimilar purchasing could be made jointly with primary care. Tendering as a mode of procurement for biosimilars, removes the prescriber’s influence which is the acceptance-limiting step for biosimilars currently due to the concerns on efficacy and safety. From a hospital procurement pharmacists’ point of view, it is unclear whether a price discount strategy will favour the introduction of new biosimilars in the UK hospitals as other factors might have a more important role in the final purchasing decision