Sandoz Philippines organized a multi-stakeholder event about biosimilars entitled "Unlocking the Biosimilar Potential to Bridge the Unmet Healthcare Needs in the Philippines" in line with the celebration of the 3rd edition of the Global Biosimilars Week.

The meeting was graced by representatives from various sectors who were present during the presentations of world-leading expert in biologic medicines, Dr. Paul Cornes, and the President of the Thai Rheumatism Assocation Dr. Prapaporn Pisitkun, as well as real world experience sharing on biologics' impact and challenges from the perspective of patients and clinical practitioners.

In line with the Global Biosimilars Week's theme "Strengthening Healthcare — The Value of Biosimilar Medicines," Dr. Cornes' presentation focused on the principle of Value-Based Medicine, while Dr. Pisitkun focused on how they integrated biosimilar medicines into their practice and healthcare system.

The open forum and synthesis were both moderated by Dr. Nina Castillo-Carandang, a professor of Health Sociology and Global Health in the Department of Clinical Epidemiology, and a member of the National Immunization Technical Advisory Group on Covid-19.

With this multi-stakeholder meeting, it is aimed that the biosimilars market continue to grow in the country in order to address issues on healthcare costs, grow demand for biosimilars due to its cost-effectiveness, and pave the way for an increased demand in a variety of therapeutic applications.

"For 20 years, we at Sandoz Philippines has strived to stay true to our purpose of making access happen for our fellow Filipinos. We brought one of the first biosimilar medicines approved by the FDA Philippines in 2017, since the issuance of guidelines on 'biosimilar' or 'similar biotherapeutic' products in 2014," said Eleanor Lopez, Sandoz Philippines country head.

"Now, Sandoz is leading this multi-stakeholder initiative to increase awareness of biosimilars and take the conversation further. This will be a great platform for information-sharing on topics such as the role biosimilar medicines will play in cancer care and other diseases, the importance of sustainable procurement practices for a healthy, competitive, off-patent biologics and biosimilar medicines landscape and education in improving stakeholder literacy on biosimilar medicines," she added.

Sandoz Philippines, a multinational generics company, on its 20th year in the Philippines which coincides with Global Biosimilars Week, supports the country's efforts in ensuring that patients have timely access to appropriate and quality medicines.

A biosimilar is a successor to a biologic medicine for which the patent has expired and exclusivity has been lost. The development of biologic medicines is a complex process because these are extracted from living organisms, tissues, or cells. Biologic medicines are a game-changer in treating and preventing many disabling and life-threatening diseases like cancer. However, the cost of developing and distributing biologics drives the rising healthcare cost, which may restrict patient access to potentially life-saving treatments.