An Introduction to Biosimilars for the Treatment of Retinal Diseases: A Narrative Review.

Biological therapies have revolutionized the treatment of disease across a number of therapeutic areas including retinal diseases. However, on occasion, such treatments may be relatively more expensive compared to small molecule therapies. This can restrict patient access and treatment length leading to suboptimal clinical outcomes.

Correction to: Unlocking the Value of Anti-TNF Biosimilars: Reducing Disease Burden and Improving Outcomes in Chronic Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: A Narrative Review.

In the original article, under the "Access to treatment" heading.

Unlocking the Value of Anti-TNF Biosimilars: Reducing Disease Burden and Improving Outcomes in Chronic Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: A Narrative Review.

Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs) are chronic conditions that create a significant disease burden on millions of patients while adding a major financial burden to societies and healthcare systems. The introduction of biologic medicines has contributed majorly to improving the clinical outcomes of IMIDs and as such these modalities have gained first- or second-line positions in a wide range of treatment guidelines from different international clinical societies. However, the high cost of these biologics traditionally limited their accessibility and delayed their initiation, leaving millions of patients with unmet medical needs for a more affordable and sustainable solution.

Batch-to-Batch Consistency of SB4 and SB2, Etanercept and Infliximab Biosimilars.

Background: Biosimilars must meet stringent regulatory requirements, both at the time of authorization and during their lifecycle. Yet it has been suggested that divergence in quality attributes over time may lead to clinically meaningful differences between two versions of a biologic. Therefore, this study investigated the batch-to-batch consistency across a range of parameters for released batches of the etanercept biosimilar (SB4) and infliximab biosimilar (SB2).

Real-World Evidence on Etanercept Biosimilar SB4 in Etanercept-Naïve or Switching Patients: A Systematic Review.

Introduction: In 2016, SB4 (Benepali) became the first etanercept (ETN) biosimilar to obtain marketing authorisation in Europe. Despite robust analytical and clinical comparisons, outstanding questions remain on SB4 use in routine practice.

Methods: A systematic search for publications on real-world evidence of SB4 effectiveness, safety and drug survival was undertaken using search terms (SB4 OR Benepali OR biosimilar etanercept OR innovator etanercept) in the BIOSIS Toxicology, BIOSIS Previews, Embase and MEDLINE databases up to 17 January 2019.

Correction to: To See or NOsee: The Debate on the Nocebo Effect and Optimizing the Use of Biosimilars.

The article "To See or NOsee: The Debate on the Nocebo Effect and Optimizing the Use of Biosimilars", written by Mourad F. Rezk and Burkhard Pieper was originally published electronically on the publisher's internet portal (currently SpringerLink) on June 5, 2018 without open access.

To See or NOsee: The Debate on the Nocebo Effect and Optimizing the Use of Biosimilars.

Unlabelled: In addition to the general clinical benefit offered, biosimilars may not only generate savings for healthcare budgets but also improve patient access to biologic products. Since the first biosimilar was approved in Europe in 2006, a further 36 different biosimilar drugs have been approved for several indications. Despite the wealth of experience gained and the reported data supporting the use of biosimilars, both in naïve and biologic-experienced patients, some healthcare professionals continue to express doubt regarding the rigorous approval process for biosimilars and uncertainty with how to incorporate them into daily clinical practice.

Treatment Outcomes with Biosimilars: Be Aware of the Nocebo Effect.

Unlabelled: Over the years, biologic agents have proven their importance in the management of chronic autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Biosimilars, which are biologic medicines, are highly similar to approved biologic medicines, and are comprehensively developed and rigorously tested to ensure efficacy and safety are similar to the reference product. A broader armamentarium of biosimilars is expected to improve patients' access to safe and effective biologic medicines, thus offering benefits to healthcare systems around the globe.

Patient Perceptions and Preferences of Two Etanercept Autoinjectors for Rheumatoid Arthritis: Findings from a Patient Survey in Europe.

Introduction: Benepali was the first etanercept (Enbrel) biosimilar to be approved in the European Union. Both Benepali and Enbrel are available as autoinjector devices. In a recent survey, nurses from France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom (UK) reported that their patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) would prefer the Benepali autoinjector compared to the Enbrel MYCLIC autoinjector.

Perceptions and Preferences of Two Etanercept Autoinjectors for Rheumatoid Arthritis: A New European Union-Approved Etanercept Biosimilar (Benepali) Versus Etanercept (Enbrel) - Findings from a Nurse Survey in Europe.

Introduction: Enbrel (etanercept: manufactured by Immunex Corporation, Newbury Park, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320, USA) was the first biological disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Europe. More recently, an etanercept biosimilar (Benepali: manufactured by Biogen Inc, Cambridge, MA 02124, USA) was approved in the European Union. The perceptions and preferences of the Benepali autoinjector versus Enbrel MYCLIC autoinjector were evaluated by nurses from Europe.