Dr. Ali on Adjuvant Studies With Biosimilars in Oncology

Haythem Y. Ali, MD, senior medical oncologist, Henry Ford Hospital, discusses adjuvant studies with biosimilars in oncology.

The problem with adjuvant studies, says Ali, is that they take a long time to evaluate. If adjuvant studies are mandated before biosimilars are able to be used in oncology, physicians will never get access to them. Ali explains that by the time researchers have answered the question of their efficacy, they will have moved on to other adjuvant therapies.

It makes sense to ensure that the efficacy is reasonable in the metastatic setting, says Ali. Once physicians are comfortable with that, they should be comfortable prescribing the biosimilar in the other settings that the reference drug is approved for, adds Ali. It is a personal comfort, and it should not take physicians long to determine whether these drugs are working or not, he says.

Additionally, Ali notes that physicians have to work to correct the notion that biosimilars and generics are one in the same. Ultimately, more education is needed in general if biosimilars are to flourish in the field of oncology.