Sandoz, a biosimilars manufacturer, has announced the beginning of a new global campaign to combat global health disparities. By harnessing the ‘4 As’ of biosimilars– approval, accessibility, acceptability, and affordability, Act4Biosimilars strives to expand patient access to innovative treatments. A heterogeneous steering committee comprising patient engagement leaders, health professionals, biosimilar experts, and industry executives from around the world has endorsed the effort.
By enabling biological therapies to become more broadly available to people in need of these sophisticated, life-changing treatments, biosimilars have opened a whole new horizon of potential for patients, said Zorana Maravic, CEO of Digestive Cancers Europe. However, unless they address existing biosimilar access disparities, far too many patients will continue to be denied access to the finest treatments available.
Healthcare systems are under more strain than ever before, said Richard Saynor, Sandoz’s chief executive officer. This can be attributed to the expenditures associated with a growing, ageing population as well as more individuals getting struck with chronic diseases. They are happy to be a founding sponsor of Act4Biosimilars, which will spur action to offer these more affordable treatment choices to patients who need them.
The Steering Committee is now working on an action plan that will include the strategies, resources, and activities needed to achieve the global goals. Country indicator maps will be used to track the transformation that is being pushed by groups, associations, and organisations around the world. A biosimilar is a biological drug developed after the patent on the original therapy has expired. In terms of quality, safety, and efficacy, biosimilars also match all of the needed treatment references.
Sandoz was the first company to create and market a biosimilar drug, which was introduced to patients 16 years ago. Ensure equal pricing, involve patients in medical decisions, and streamline biosimilar production are some of the project’s other key goals. By 2030, the eventual goal is to boost worldwide biosimilar medication usage by at least 30% in at least 30 countries.
