PBMs: The Biosimilar Blockade

By Angus Worthing, MD, FACR, FACP

With 5 rheumatology biosimilars already approved by the FDA, and dozens more in the pipeline, the landscape of the rheumatology drug market is on the cusp of a major shift. Biosimilars were created to bring notoriously expensive biologic drugs to patients at lower prices. In theory, they increase access to life-changing, even life-saving, treatments. As a practicing rheumatologist in downtown Washington, DC, I observe firsthand the power of biologics to bring relief to patients suffering from crippling diseases of the joints.