Dr. Verma Discusses Combinations With Biosimilars

Sunil Verma, MD, professor and head of the Department of Oncology at the University of Calgary, medical director of the Tom Baker Cancer Centre, discusses the possibility of combining biosimilars.

In oncology, there is an approved biosimilar for bevacizumab (Avastin) and trastuzumab (Herceptin), and then physicians are looking at a rituximab (Rituxan) biosimilar. There are also biosimilars for checkpoint inhibitors being evaluated. Therefore, in the future, there will be an opportunity to combine biosimilars with biosimilars, which will be very interesting, says Verma.

That is where partnerships with regulatory agencies will be important, because physicians will be able to provide a clinical voice in interpreting the results, and even designing some of these trials. Although the manufacturing and quality attributes are assessed by regulatory agencies, there should be a clinical perspective on the evaluation of these therapies, Verma says.