Does the introduction of an infliximab biosimilar always result in savings for hospitals? A descriptive study using real-world data.

Background: Biosimilars are biologic drugs that have the potential to increase the efficiency of healthcare spending and curb drug-related cost increases. However, their introduction into hospital formularies through initiatives such as non-medical switching must be carefully orchestrated so as not to cause treatment discontinuation or result in increased health resource utilization, such as additional visits or laboratory tests, among others. This retrospective cohort study aims to assess the impact of the introduction of CT-P13 on the healthcare expenditures of patients who were treated with originator infliximab or CT-P13.

Current Expertise, Opinions, and Attitude toward TNF-⍺ Antagonist Biosimilars among Physicians: A Self-Administered Online Survey in Western Switzerland.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-⍺) antagonists are biological drugs with multiple authorized biosimilars. Biosimilars are becoming critical to the financial sustainability of health systems. Recent studies emphasize that physicians' knowledge regarding biosimilars has not yet progressed sufficiently to overcome their concerns regarding biosimilars' safety and efficacy.

Exploring the Reasons Behind the Substantial Discontinuation Rate Among Patients Taking CT-P13 in a Large Tertiary Hospital in Western Switzerland: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using Routinely Collected Medical Data.

Background: CT-P13 is an infliximab biosimilar that was granted market authorization in Switzerland in 2016. Despite the growing literature supporting the equivalence of CT-P13 compared with originator infliximab regarding the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity and the undeniable cost-saving opportunities, CT-P13 remains widely underused in Switzerland.

Objective: Leaving aside the phenomenon of a low initiation rate, this study aimed to explore the reasons behind the high discontinuation rate observed among the patients taking CT-P13 in a large tertiary hospital in Western Switzerland.

Randomized clinical trial to assess the protective efficacy of a Plasmodium vivax CS synthetic vaccine.

A randomized, double-blind, controlled vaccine clinical trial was conducted to assess, as the primary outcome, the safety and protective efficacy of the Plasmodium vivax circumsporozoite (CS) protein in healthy malaria-naïve (phase IIa) and semi-immune (phase IIb) volunteers. Participants (n = 35) were randomly selected from a larger group (n = 121) and further divided into naïve (n = 17) and semi-immune (n = 18) groups and were immunized at months 0, 2, and 6 with PvCS formulated in Montanide ISA-51 adjuvant or placebo (adjuvant alone). Specific antibodies and IFN-γ responses to PvCS were determined as secondary outcome; all experimental volunteers developed specific IgG and IFN-γ.

Pharmacists' considerations on non-medical switching at the hospital: a systematic review of the economic outcomes of cost-saving therapeutic drug classes.

Objectives: Non-medical switching (NMS) strategies have the capacity to reduce overall costs in hospitals while maintaining a high level of care. However, the most appropriate diseases and/or medicines for NMS strategies are still vague. The aim of this review was to give a state-of-the-art summary regarding the economic outcomes resulting from the use of NMS strategies and to discuss whether they would be implementable in a hospital inpatient setting.