US health advocacy groups state case on biosimilars naming policy

In advance of today's US Federal Trade Commission workshop on follow-on biologics, or biosimilars, health advocacy organizations from across the country jointly submitted a letter to FTC Commissioner Edith Ramirez, urging her to give patient safety and consumer protection the important weight and priority they deserve.

The Alliance for Patient Access (AfPA) and 14 other organizations encouraged the FTC to support the adoption of distinguishable names for all biologic products, including biosimilars.

The letter applauded the FTC's decision to hold hearings to examine issues of market access and competition for products that will be approved by the Food and Drug Administration through this new pathway. It said that biosimilars can be of value to patients only if they are accessible and affordable. However, there is a third focus that is as important as the other two, namely patient safety and consumer protection.