Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions
Rapid shift to adalimumab biosimilars in Denmark contrasts with U.S. experience
Key clinical point: Denmark’s health care system shifted to adalimumab biosimilars rapidly once they became available, and the shift led to substantial decreases in cost.
Major finding: Costs of adalimumab decreased by 82.8% between September and December 2018. (The originator adalimumab, Humira, went off patent on Oct. 16, 2018.)
Study details: An analysis of monthly data between January 2017 and October 2019 on drug sales from Amgros, which purchases all hospital drugs in Denmark.
Disclosures: The study was supported by an unrestricted research grant from Helsefonden. One author disclosed grants from Pfizer, AbbVie, Roche, and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
Jensen TB et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2020 Mar 30. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.0338.