This book provides a comprehensive overview of the biosimilar regulatory framework, the development process and clinical aspects for development of biosimilars. The development path of a biosimilar is just as unique as a development path of a new drug, tailored by the mechanism of action, the quality of the molecule, published information on the reference product, the current competitive environment, the target market and regulatory guidance, and most importantly, the emerging totality of evidence for the proposed biosimilar during development. For the ease of readers, the book comprises of six sections as follows: Section I: Business, Health Economics and Intellectual Property Landscape for Biosimilars Section II: Regulatory Aspects of Development and Approval for Biosimilars Section III: Biopharmaceutical Development and Manufacturing of Biosimilars Section IV: Analytical Similarity Considerations for Biosimilars Section V: Clinical aspects of Biosimilar Development Section VI: Biosimilars- Global Development and Clinical Experience Chapters have been written by one or more experts from academia, industry or regulatory agencies who have been involved with one or more aspects of biosimilar product development. The authors and editors have an expertise in commercialization and pricing of biosimilars, intellectual property considerations for biosimilars, chemistry manufacturing controls (CMC) and analytical development for biosimilars, regulatory and clinical aspects of biosimilar development. Besides the industry practitioners, the book includes several contributions from regulators across the globe.

This study has emerged from an ongoing program of trilateral cooperation between WHO, WTO and WIPO. It responds to an increasing demand, particularly in developing countries, for strengthened capacity for informed policy-making in areas of intersection between health, trade and IP, focusing on access to and innovation of medicines and other medical technologies.

Thanks to remarkable advances in modern health care attributable to science, engineering, and medicine, it is now possible to cure or manage illnesses that were long deemed untreatable. At the same time, however, the United States is facing the vexing challenge of a seemingly uncontrolled rise in the cost of health care. Total medical expenditures are rapidly approaching 20 percent of the gross domestic product and are crowding out other priorities of national importance. The use of increasingly expensive prescription drugs is a significant part of this problem, making the cost of biopharmaceuticals a serious national concern with broad political implications. Especially with the highly visible and very large price increases for prescription drugs that have occurred in recent years, finding a way to make prescription medicinesâ€"and health care at largeâ€"more affordable for everyone has become a socioeconomic imperative. Affordability is a complex function of factors, including not just the prices of the drugs themselves, but also the details of an individual's insurance coverage and the number of medical conditions that an individual or family confronts. Therefore, any solution to the affordability issue will require considering all of these factors together. The current high and increasing costs of prescription drugsâ€"coupled with the broader trends in overall health care costsâ€"is unsustainable to society as a whole. Making Medicines Affordable examines patient access to affordable and effective therapies, with emphasis on drug pricing, inflation in the cost of drugs, and insurance design. This report explores structural and policy factors influencing drug pricing, drug access programs, the emerging role of comparative effectiveness assessments in payment policies, changing finances of medical practice with regard to drug costs and reimbursement, and measures to prevent drug shortages and foster continued innovation in drug development. It makes recommendations for policy actions that could address drug price trends, improve patient access to affordable and effective treatments, and encourage innovations that address significant needs in health care.

In recent years, high prices of pharmaceutical products have posed challenges in high- and low-income countries alike. In many instances, high prices of pharmaceutical products have led to significant financial hardship for individuals and negatively impacted on healthcare systems' ability to provide population-wide access to essential medicines. Pharmaceutical pricing policies need to be carefully planned, carried out, and regularly checked and revised according to changing conditions. Strong, well-thought-out policies can guide well-informed and balanced decisions to achieve affordable access to essential health products. This guideline replaces the 2015 WHO guideline on country pharmaceutical pricing policies, revised to reflect the growing body of literature since the last evidence review in 2010. This update also recognizes country experiences in managing the prices of pharmaceutical products.

Pharmacy Practice and the Law creates a solid overview of pharmacy law, incorporating relevant case laws and historical backgrounds of why and how specific laws developed. The new Fourth Edition stimulates critical thinking issues in pharmacy law and explains the federal and state pharmacy regulation that corresponds to recent directives of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. This text serves as a tool to pass the law portion of a board examination, and helps students develop as practitioners, contributors andleaders to the profession itself.

The pharmaceutical industry exists to serve the community, but over the years it has engaged massively in corporate crime, with the public footing the bill. This readable study by experts in medicine, law, criminology and public health documents the pr

A comprehensive primer and reference, this book provides pharmacists and health practitioners the relevant science and policy concepts behind biologics, biosimilars, and biobetters from a practical and clinical perspective. Explains what pharmacists need to discuss the equivalence, efficacy, safety, and risks of biosimilars with physicians, health practitioners, and patients about Guides regulators on pragmatic approaches to dealing with these drugs in the context of rapidly evolving scientific and clinical evidence Balances scientific information on complex drugs with practical information, such as a checklist for pharmacists