France sets 80% biosimilar goal

Agoal of 80% biosimilar penetration within their individual markets by 2022 has been set by France’s government, as part of a broader healthcare strategy set out by the health ministry for the next five years. This will be achieved by promoting biosimilars “which present the same efficacy, the same quality and the same safety as the biological reference product”, according to the proposals. Local medicines agency ANSM recently introduced 11 ‘similar biologic groups’ designating equivalence categories for biosimilars, alongside guidance that advises prescribing biosimilars at any point during a course of treatment and favours lowerpriced alternatives (Generics bulletin, 10 November 2017, page 11).