3 ms·
There're generic versions of the drug coming to market. Amjevita from Amgen is bio-similar to Humira and just got FDA approved. It costs about half at retail.
by ww520 3y ago
There're generic versions of the drug coming to market. Amjevita from Amgen is bio-similar to Humira and just got FDA approved. It costs about half at retail. As more generic versions of the anti-TNF biological drugs coming online, the price should be driven down.
- ekianjo 3y agoNot generics. Biosimilars is the correct name for them.
- ww520 3y agoJust curious, what's the difference? I thought the patents have expired and other companies have started to clone the drug.
- ekianjo 3y agovery large molecules (proteins) can't be exactly replicated. It's not something like aspirin with a barely a few atoms bundled together, those are very complex structures with very long chains and 3D hyperstructures that have a clear impact on their effect. So it's not easy to replicate exactly the protein done by another company, so what a biosimilar is, is an attempt at making proteins that have similar kind of folding and efficacy while not being strictly identical. That's why they are not generics.
- ww520 3y agoI see. Thanks for the explanation.
- gtuhdhvd 3y agowhat do you mean can't be replicated? that's how they manufacture the drug. or do you mean cannot be made legally in the usa absurd copyright law where a company can simply deny licensing for medication?
- ekianjo 3y ago> what do you mean can't be replicated? that's how they manufacture the drug. because manufacturing is much more complex, depends on genetic modification of bacteria or things like that, and there are trade secrets involved in the manufacturing process - so you won't be able to replicate it even if you know the final structure.