Hospira applauds UK's NICE move to drive Biosimilars introduction

US generics and biosimilars developer Hospira (NYSE: HSP) says it applauds the UK's National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) for developing and issuing a new adoption resource to further support the introduction of biosimilar infliximab.

This includes including Hospira's Inflectra and South Korean firm Celltrion’s Remsima, allowing patients greater access to these expensive treatments and greater choice for physicians. Both are biosimilar versions of blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Remicade (infliximab), from US health care giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK).

The recently published adoption resource titled, " Introducing biosimilar versions of infliximab: Inflectra and Remsima," provides practical advice on how to effectively introduce biosimilars into clinical practice, as well as a process to implement a well-managed and safe switching program from reference biologics to biosimilars. Through case studies, the resource highlights how biosimilars can help lead to a more sustainable healthcare system and can help improve patient access to high cost biologic medicines.