Biosimilars: The viewpoint of Italian patients with inflammatory bowel disease
2020; Elsevier BV; Volume: 52; Issue: 11 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/j.dld.2020.07.028
ISSN1878-3562
AutoresFabio Salvatore Macaluso, S. Leone, Enrica Previtali, Marco Ventimiglia, Alessandro Armuzzi, Ambrogio Orlando,
Tópico(s)Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life
ResumoBackground The viewpoint on biosimilars among patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) is largely unknown. Aims We aimed at exploring the confidence and opinion on biosimilars among Italian patients with IBD. Methods An anonymous, 20-item, questionnaire was sent via e-mail to all members of the Italian IBD patients' association (AMICI Onlus). Three sets of questions were formulated: 1: Characteristics of respondents; 2: The use of biologics and biosimilars in clinical practice; 3: General opinions on biologics and biosimilars. Results Of the 4,302 total surveys sent, there were 1,749 respondents (response rate: 40.6%). There was an equal distribution between males and females (48.3% and 51.7%, respectively), and between patients with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (46.9% and 51.3%, respectively), while most of the patients were aged between 19 and 45 years and between 46 and 65 years (45.5% and 42.0%, respectively). Approximately 45% of the respondents declared to have never been informed about the existence of biosimilars. The great majority of patients (73.9%) did not know if originators and biosimilars could be considered equivalent, or if efficacy or safety of biosimilars could be lower than those of originators. Approximately half of the respondents (53.5%) had no idea that the use of low-cost biosimilars could be useful to increase the overall economic resources for the treatment of IBD. Conclusions An extensive lack of knowledge and confidence in biosimilars exists among Italian patients with IBD. Efforts carried out by scientific societies and IBD patients' associations are required to overcome this issue.
Referência(s)