Biosimilars & Pharmaceuticals

USFDA Approved Biosimilars

The European regulatory authorities led with a specially adapted approval procedure to authorize subsequent versions of previously approved Biologics, termed "similar biological medicinal products", or Biosimilars. This procedure is based on a thorough demonstration of "comparability" of the "similar" product to an existing approved product. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held that new legislation was required to enable them to approve Biosimilars to those Biologics originally approved through the PHS Act pathway. The FDA gained the authority to approve Biosimilars (including interchangeable that are substitutable with their reference product) as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010.