Sandoz introduces Act4Biosimilars Action Plan to accelerate patient access to biosimilar medicines

Driving Innovation and Affordability: Sandoz's Commitment to Expanding Patient Access through the Act4Biosimilars Action Plan

Sandoz, a global leader in generic and biosimilar medicines, has announced the launch of a global roadmap to increase patient access to biologic medicines. The Act4Biosimilars Action Plan is part of the Act4Biosimilars initiative, founded by Sandoz and launched in 2022, and aims to increase global biosimilar adoption by at least 30 percentage points in 30+ countries by 2030.

Professor Emeritus Tore K. Kvien, previous Head of Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital for 25 years and a member of the Act4Biosimilars Steering Committee, said, “The time to globalize biosimilars is now, so that advanced biologic medicines are accessible to patients who need them most. Their benefits are proven, and it’s time to bring them to more patients and health systems across the world.” 

Despite nearly 20 years of availability, biosimilars show worldwide adoption rate of only 14% in initiative-tracked countries, while reference medicines still represent 86% of biologic treatments. Unregulated biocopies, legal and regulatory decisions, and misaligned incentives within healthcare delivery models contribute to barriers that prevent patients in the Americas from accessing biosimilars. Newly launched Act4Biosimilars Action Plan identifies key challenges and provides actionable steps for countries to take to increase global biosimilar adoption by at least 30 percentage points in 30+ countries by 2030.

The Act4Biosimilars Action Plan highlights the most critical challenges preventing patient access to biosimilar medicines, as well as actionable steps to accelerate adoption by overcoming those challenges. The Action Plan will be complemented by a series of reports which provides analysis of the key challenges by region.

The Action Plan features 12 key initiatives to accelerate biosimilar adoption across the 4As – Approvability, Acceptability, Accessibility, and Affordability. It provides actionable steps designed to help local stakeholders foster a more favorable environment for biosimilars in their country and ultimately drive global adoption.

For nearly two decades, the introduction of biosimilars have enabled expanded or earlier patient access to biologic treatment. It is estimated that between 2023 and 2027, biosimilars could generate $290 billion in savings globally. However, biosimilars are still unavailable in most countries and there are significant challenges to expand access. As a result, their impact on patients varies widely.

Published on : 15th June, 2023