Medicare Advantage beneficiaries are more likely to be prescribed biosimilar drugs than their counterparts in traditional Medicare, a study published Dec. 28 in JAMA Health Forum found.
The study, conducted by researchers at the FDA, CMS and policy research firm Acumen, compared biosimilar uptake for seven categories of drugs among MA and traditional Medicare populations. In six of the seven categories, biosimilar uptake was higher among MA beneficiaries.
Biosimilars, highly similar replications of biologic medications, can cost much less than the original medication.
"Current estimates of biosimilar savings are greater than $20 billion, meaning each percent increase in overall biosimilar uptake could represent hundreds of millions of dollars. Thus, it is important to validate the increased biosimilar uptake observed in MA and investigate potential mechanisms through which managed care may encourage greater biosimilar use," the authors concluded.
Read the full study here.