Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice Towards Biosimilars and Interchangeable Products: A Prescriptive Insight by the Pharmacists

Figures & data

Table 1 Characteristics of Study Population

Characteristics	Frequency (%)
Gender
Males	74 (24.26)
Females	231 (75.73)
Organization
Private	263 (86.22)
Public sector	42 (13.77)
Field/Profession
Community Pharmacists	39 (12.78)
Clinical pharmacists	54 (17.7)
Academicians	85 (27.86)
Fresh pharmacy graduates/trainees	127 (41.63)
Experience
Less than 5 years	201 (65.90)
5–10 years	73 (23.93)
10–15 years	26 (8.52)
15–20 years	3 (0.98)
20 years and above	2 (0.65)

Table 2 Respondents’ Knowledge of Biosimilar Medicines and Interchangeable Products

Knowledge Statement	Correct Responses
BSMs are FDA approved versions of original biological products manufactured after the expiry of original product’s patent.	255 (83.60)
BSM has no significant clinical differences from the reference product	267 (87.54)
BSM is structurally identical to its reference medicinal product	230 (75.40)
BSMs are same as interchangeable products	251 (82.29)
BSM is a drug for which assessment of biosimilarity requires more comprehensive data compared to generic drugs	224 (73.44)
All FDA-approved BSMs undergo an extensive assessment to make sure that patients can trust their efficacy, safety, and quality.	272 (89.18)
Biosimilarity is established through extensive analytical preclinical and clinical studies	233 (76.39)
BSM can be used in patients who have been treated previously with the reference product	247 (80.98)
An interchangeable product is a BSM product fulfilling additional requirements as described by the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act	211 (69.18)
Pharmacist can substitute the interchangeable product for the reference product without referring the prescriber	229 (75.08)

Table 3 Respondents’ Attitude Towards the Use of Biosimilar Medicines and Interchangeable Products

Attitude Statements	Strongly Agree	Agree	Neither Agree Nor Disagree	Disagree	Strongly Disagree
I am in favor of promoting the use BSMs in patient care	125 (40.98)	121 (39.67)	35 (11.47)	18 (5.9)	6 (1.96)
I think that BSMs increase patients’ access to variety of treatment options	119 (39.01)	106 (34.75)	49 (16.06)	21 (6.88)	10 (3.27)
I think that BSMs encourage competition among companies, which contributes to the reduction of product prices	97 (31.80)	142 (46.55)	36 (11.80)	19 (6.22)	11 (3.60)
I think that BSMs should only be used when original drug in ineffective	63 (20.65)	23 (7.54)	51 (16.72)	68 (22.29)	100 (32.78)
If the US FDA approved a BSM as an interchangeable, I would use it interchangeably with the reference biological product	80 (26.22)	149 (48.85)	36 (11.8)	37 (12.13)	3 (0.98)
I believed that patients can be safely switched to BSM during treatment with the same clinical outcome	64 (20.98)	111 (36.39)	78 (25.57)	44 (14.42)	8 (2.62)
Being a pharmacist, I can safely switch to BSMs without physician permission	4 (1.31)	21 (6.88)	181 (59.34)	47 (15.40)	52 (17.04)
I think pharmacists can contribute significantly in deciding to use specific BSM in treatment	172 (56.39)	108 (35.40)	16 (5.24)	6 (1.96)	3 (0.98)
I think that the patient should participate in shared decision-making when deciding to use BSM in their treatment	93 (30.49)	169 (55.4)	25 (8.19)	11 (3.6)	7 (2.29)
I think that the healthcare professionals should be further educated to eliminate potential misconceptions and integrate BSMs into routine clinical practice	174 (57.04)	88 (28.85)	17 (5.57)	20 (6.55)	6 (1.96)

Figure 1 Respondents’ perceived reasons of encouraging the use of Biosimilar Medicines (%).

Figure 2 Respondents’ perceived barriers of using Biosimilar Medicines (%).