Biosimilars – status in July 2020 in 16 countries

The World Health Organization has provided specific guidance for biosimilar products to assist regulators, manufacturers and other professionals involved in the development and evaluation of these products. The development and approval of biosimilars are important for health care, as they allow the marketing of safe, efficacious and affordable biological products. Since the first biosimilars were approved in the EU in 2006, a series of biosimilars have been approved in many countries/geographical regions. This manuscript provides the figures on the status of approved biosimilars in 16 countries based on the information from regulatory experts and from publicly available data. It is clear that increasing numbers of biosimilars are now available in many countries and provide more options for treatments. It is expected that adoption of biosimilars will allow affordable health care and greater patient access to important medicinal products. It will also contribute to the overall WHO goal recognized by the World Health Assembly in 2014 by adopting a resolution on access to biotherapeutic products including biosimilars and on ensuring their quality, safety and efficacy.