Dr. Robson Discusses the Driving Force Behind Biosimilar Use in Oncology

Mark E. Robson, MD, chief, Breast Medicine Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discusses the driving force behind biosimilar use in oncology.

Biosimilars are going to be an integral component of treatment in the future, says Robson. Notably, the decision of whether to prescribe a biosimilar or a biologic is going to be driven by payers, he adds. In breast cancer, several biosimilars have already received regulatory approval. As such, certain payers are already requiring that the trastuzumab biosimilar be used over the biologic if HER2-targeted therapy is mandated.

Although the data that have been reported have shown the equivalency of approved biosimilars and biologics, there is still some hesitancy in the community regarding their use. However, as biosimilars gain more traction in the field and provider confidence grows, these agents are going to result in a paradigm shift, concludes Robson.