Biosimilar medicines in rheumatology

Biosimilar medicines are biological medicines that have been developed to be highly similar and clinically equivalent to an existing biological medicine. The introduction of these medicines provides additional patient choice and enables financial savings. These savings can be used within the NHS to help support the use of new treatments as they become available and further develop services for patients. The NHS already has a history of using biosimilar medicines for indications such as growth hormone deficiency, neutropenia associated with chemotherapy and anaemia related to renal disease. Biosimilar infliximab is now available for the management of a number of rheumatology conditions and, in the next few years, additional biosimilar medicines will become available for rheumatology patients. The introduction of biosimilars requires careful planning, the expertise of a multidisciplinary team and effective communication. Of utmost importance is the involvement of the patient in the decision to use a biosimilar. Current NHS policy states: "The decision to prescribe a biological medicine for an individual patient, whether an originator or biosimilar medicine, rests with the responsible clinician in consultation with the patient.".