Author byline as per print journal: Michael S Reilly, Esq; Jane Barratt, PhD

Introduction: The first biosimilar entered the Canadian market in 2009 and the first ophthalmic biosimilar was approved in 2022. In 2022, the Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines (ASBM) and the International Federation on Ageing (IFA) asked prescribing ophthalmology physicians in Canada for their views on product identification, prescribing biologicals and prescribing biosimilars and switching.
Methods: In October/November 2022, the ASBM, conducted a web-based quantitative survey with 41 participants practicing ophthalmology in Canada. Prescribers were asked for their views: on how products are identified; influence of the cost of biologicals and biosimilars when prescribing; prescribing biosimilars and switching to biosimilars; pharmacist-level switching to biosimilars and automatic substitution of biosimilars.
Results: The survey reveals information about biological product identification and shows that the ophthalmologists are confident in the Canadian pharmacovigilance system’s ability to accurately identify the specific product that might be responsible for an adverse drug reaction. Most physicians are not influenced by the cost when prescribing biologicals and they are confident prescribing biosimilars and switching patients to biosimilars where appropriate. Overall, 90% of practitioners think they should have the sole authority to decide what biological is dispensed to patients and over 80% are not comfortable with third-party switching for non-medical reasons. The majority of practitioners said that the system that would best serve the patients of their province would be one in which multiple products, including innovator and biosimilars, are reimbursed, biosimilars are encouraged for new patients and there is no automatic substitution.
Conclusions: The survey reveals information about how Canadian ophthalmologists feel about the use of ophthalmic biosimilars, specifically on biological/biosimilar product identification, and prescribing and switching to biosimilars for ocular use.

Submitted: 24 February 2023; Revised: 25 April 2023; Accepted: 26 April 2023; Published online first: 9 May 2023

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This manuscript has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record.