...L. Buer; M.L. Høivik; A.W. Medhus; B. Moum Background: Biological agents, mainly tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors, play an important role in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). These drugs are expensive and constitute a major cost in the IBD care. In 2013, the first biosimilar...

...Jørgen Jahnsen; Kristin Kaasen Jørgensen Background: The first monoclonal antibody biosimilar to be used in clinical practice is the tumour necrosis factor-alpha inhibitor Remsima® (CT-P13). The drug is approved for all indications as the originator infliximab (Remicade®) although clinical efficacy...

... expiration has sparked the healthcare industry's interest in the production of biosimilar (BS) versions of first generation biologics (originators [ORGs]) for market sharing. Having no access to the production line of the ORG, the sponsor of a BS needs to develop his own manufacturing process to produce...

... and not cheap. The market is constantly increasing, and several biosimilars (copies of biologics) are being used, while many are still waiting to become available to the public. Biosimilars are more complex than generics, and regulatory agencies have very stringent criteria for approval. In the IBD field...