10/09/2017
On October 2nd, the Journal of the Generics and Biosimilars Initiative (GaBI Journal) published a letter-to-the-editor signed by ASBM Chair Madelaine Feldman MD and three physicians from ASBM's International Advisory Board: Brazilian rheumatologist Valderilio Azevedo, MD; Canadian gastroenterologist Brian Bressler MD; and Alejandro Mercedes MD, oncologist from the Dominican Republic.
The letter urges national regulators to support the World Health Organization's (WHO's) proposed Biological Qualifier (BQ) system for ensuring clear identification of all biologics, including biosimilars:
"... in Europe, five different biological medications manufactured by seven different companies, all sharing the non-proprietary name ‘filgrastim’ are currently being sold. While each is marketed by its trade name in Europe, many physicians around the world, including in Europe, prescribe using the non-proprietary name alone. This ambiguity leaves it unclear to the dispenser which biological medicine was intended, and unclear to the prescriber which was actually received by the patient. This makes it difficult to accurately assess which drug the patient is responding to or having a side effect from."
We encourage you to read the full letter online here.
When a patient experiences an adverse event from a medication or the medicine stops working, it is important for both the patient and their physician to know