Cost savings are welcome but evidence supporting equivalence of biosimilar and originator drugs is currently limited
The management of inflammatory bowel disease has undergone major changes in the last decade with the availability on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) of targeted biological therapies. The first of these was the anti-tumour necrosis factor α (anti-TNF-α) monoclonal antibody infliximab, followed by another anti-TNF-α antibody adalimumab, and, more recently, the first gut-specific T-cell trafficking inhibitor vedolizumab, an anti-α-4 β-7 integrin monoclonal antibody. These drugs have resulted in a shift in the management paradigm from symptom control and the minimisation of exposure to corticosteroids to now aiming for healing of the intestinal mucosa, prevention of damage and subsequent disability.1
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I am the current chair of the Australian Inflammatory Bowel Disease Association of the Gastroenterological Society of Australia, a board member of Crohn’s & Colitis Australia, and have been on advisory boards and/or received speaker fees from the following manufacturers of biological medicinesAbbVie, Janssen, Hospira and Takeda.