Pharma Investors Express Support for Biosimilars

August 11, 2014 | A large investor group has been circulating a document asking pharmaceutical companies to pledge certain measures to foster the takeup of biosimilars in the U.S., including the acknowledgement of safety data from Europe, where biosimilars have been more widely adopted. The investors are concerned that companies with large biotech portfolios have been working to dampen prospects for biosimilars, which unlike other generic drugs can never be completely identical to name-brand biologics, and therefore may face extra hurdles in gaining market share. However, the document, which has so far been signed by Novartis and Amgen, does not threaten to withhold investment from companies that decline to take the pledge. Pharmalot