Decision Resources Group projects $1.8 billion in 2023 sales of biosimilar G-CSFs

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Decision Resources Group on Wednesday found that sales of biosimilar versions of the granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs) filgrastim, which is currently pending Food and Drug Administration approval, and pegfilgrastim could reach $1.8 billion in the United States by 2023. Medical oncologists and hematologist-oncologists surveyed in France and Germany indicated that they would prescribe future biosimilar G-CSFs, such as pegfilgrastim, to a significantly higher percentage of eligible patients compared with biosimilars of monoclonal antibodies.

 

"Filgrastim biosimilars have performed well in Europe, with sales exceeding the reference product in many countries," stated Kate Keeping, Decision Resources Group senior director of biosimilars. "Now those biosimilars are on the verge of entering the U.S. market where we expect U.S. oncologists to swiftly adopt these tried and tested lower-cost alternatives to Amgen's Neupogen."

 

Also to come out of the Biosimilars Advisory Service report, entitled "Physician Perspectives on Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factors and Monoclonal Antibodies in Oncology," a greater proportion of surveyed oncologists indicated that they expect to start prescribing biosimilar G-CSFs within six months of availability, compared with biosimilar MAbs.

 

The majority of surveyed oncologists indicated that they have a preferred biosimilar filgrastim product and that preference is driven by which manufacturer they trust most. And the proportion of surveyed oncologists that indicated that regulatory approval would not allay all of their concerns about equivalence between a biosimilar and the reference brand was higher for MAbs than for G-CSFs.