13 May 2019 - In 2018, the Generic Biosimilar Medicines Association was awarded the Biosimilar Education Grant by the Australian government to develop an educational program for Australian stakeholders with the aim of increasing confidence in biosimilars that are listed on the nation’s public drug benefit plan. 

Now, the association has launched an educational hub.

The prescriber section of the educational portal includes a comprehensive brochure that explains the development process for biosimilars; pharmacovigilance for these products; and "a-flagging" of medicines, which is a determination of therapeutic equivalence that allows a biosimilar to be substituted at the pharmacy level for its reference following patient consultation. It also provides samples of letters that can be sent to patients to notify them that they may be switched to a biosimilar.

The pharmacist section describes how a-flagged biosimilars may be substituted at the point of dispensing, and explains that pharmacists should discuss brand substitution with prescribers to maintain and improve professional relationships and avoid any misunderstandings.

Read Center for Biosimilars article