Assessing awareness and attitudes of healthcare professionals on the use of biosimilar medicines: A survey of physicians and pharmacists in Ireland

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2017.06.013Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Healthcare professionals were surveyed on awareness and attitudes to biosimilars.

  • Familiarity with the term ‘biosimilar’ varies amongst different professions.

  • One in five respondents considered biosimilars to be the same as generics.

  • Physicians more likely to prescribe biosimilars at treatment initiation than switch.

  • Most medical specialists opposed substitution of biological medicines.

Abstract

Increasing numbers of biosimilar medicines are becoming available. The objective of this survey was to assess awareness of and attitudes to biosimilars amongst physicians (medical specialists and General Practitioners (GPs)) and community pharmacists in Ireland. Physicians were invited to complete an online questionnaire during April and May 2016. Community pharmacists received a postal questionnaire in August 2015. Responses from 102 medical specialists, 253 GPs and 125 community pharmacists were analysed. The majority of medical specialists (85%) and pharmacists (77%) claimed to be either very familiar or familiar with the term biosimilar, whereas many GPs (60%) were unable to define or had never heard of the term. One in five (21%) healthcare professionals responded that biosimilars were the same as generic medicines. The majority of medical specialists opposed pharmacist-led substitution of biological medicines but some thought it could be appropriate if agreed with the clinician in advance. Medical specialists who prescribe biosimilars (n = 43) were more likely to do so on treatment initiation (67%), than switch a patient from an originator medicine to a biosimilar (28%). The findings will aid the design of educational initiatives for healthcare professionals and highlight attitudes of healthcare professionals to biosimilars, so informing regulators, policy makers and industry.

Keywords

Biosimilar
Survey
Pharmacists
General practitioners
Medical specialists
Physicians
Awareness
Attitudes

Abbreviations

BSG
British Society of Gastroenterology
EC
European Commission
EMA
European Medicines Agency
EPAR
European Public Assessment Report
Fimea
Finnish Medicines Agency
GP
General Practitioner
HPRA
Health Products Regulatory Authority
HSE
Health Service Executive
INN
International Nonproprietary Name
IPHA
Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association
MEB
Medicines Evaluation Board
MMP
Medicines Management Programme
NMIC
National Medicines Information Centre
RCP
Royal College of Physicians
RSI
Regulatory Science Ireland
SmPC
Summary of Product Characteristics
UCC
University College Cork

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