Biologics: An Overview

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Intelligent Solutions in Pharmacy Benefits

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By definition, biologics are medical products that are made from natural sources such as a microorganism, a human or an animal. Unlike other drugs that are made through a chemical process, biologics are manufactured in a living system and are usually very large molecules or mixtures of molecules that can not easily be identified. 

Just like other pharmaceutical drugs, biologics are used for the purpose of treating a medical condition or disease. Since biologics have proven to be an adequate solution for the treatment and prevention of some medical conditions, it is expected that over the next decade, the global biologics market will grow tremendously. In fact, at this rate, it is anticipated that by 2018, about 45 of the top 100 drugs will be biologics, pulling in about 50% of sales for that group of drugs.

When discussing biologics, it is also important to touch on their relationship with biosimilars and analyze how the growth of biologics will impact the production and growth of biosimilars as well. First and foremost, a biosimilar is any biological product that is very similar in nature and composition to an already licensed biological product. However, since biologics are extremely complex, it appears that it will be much more difficult for manufacturers to make a biosimilar version of originator biologics. Furthermore, in order to truly understand the safety and effectiveness of such biosimilars, manufacturers will need to carry out clinical trials where these drugs are tested. As a result, one can expect that biosimilar sales may not grow at the same rate as biologics since the process of integrating them into the market will be a much slower one.

At PBIRx, we are always following the latest pharmacy trends to better understand how the industry is changing. In turn, we are able to better analyze our clients' pharmacy benefit plans and develop solutions that are more in tune with the latest industry breakthroughs. For more information on biologics or to find out how we can help you with your pharmacy benefit plan, please visit us on our website or contact us at (888) 797-2479 today.