Biosimilars and Pharma Innovations

Biologics & Biosimilars

Biologics are medicines made from living cells through highly complex manufacturing processes and must be handled and administered under carefully monitored conditions. Biologics are used to prevent, treat, diagnose, or cure a variety of diseases including cancer, chronic kidney disease, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases. A biosimilar is exactly what its name implies — it is a biologic that is “similar” to another biologic drug already approved by the FDA. Under U.S. law, a biosimilar is approved based on a showing that it is “highly similar” to an FDA-approved biological product, known as a reference product. It may not have any clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety and effectiveness from the reference product.