US biotech giants lobbying to block biosimilars, NTY claims

Some of the USA’s biggest biotechnology companies are lobbying intensively to limit generic competition to their blockbuster drugs, potentially cutting into the billions of dollars in savings on drug costs contemplated in the federal health care overhaul law, says Andrew Pollack writing earlier this week in the New York Times.

Two companies, Amgen (Nasdaq: AMGN), the world’s largest independent biotech, and Genentech, which is a subsidiary of Swiss drug major Roche (ROG: SX) are proposing bills that would restrict the ability of pharmacists to substitute generic versions of biological drugs for brand name products, he claims.

In some cases pharmacists would be required to notify a physician ahead of a substitution, or consult with the patient about the switch. The NYT also notes a federal offensive under way to prevent a biosimilar from having the same generic name as the branded treatment, offering another hurdle on the path to substitutions.