Panel:
Policy Issues in Generic and Biosimilar Drug Markets
(Health)
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
Rapidly increasing prescription drug prices have become a priority target for US policymakers seeking to decrease US healthcare costs. Some policymakers have focused on solutions that would reduce drug prices by increasing competition in prescription drug markets, either by hastening the entry of generic or biosimilar drugs, or encouraging their uptake once introduced. But the extent to which encouraging generic or biosimilar competition can lower drug expenditures depends on the competitive dynamics in those markets.
This panel is designed to explore the market dynamics surrounding generic and biosimilar drugs. The first paper, Four Facts Concerning Competition in U.S. Generic Prescription Drug Markets, describes the competitive environment for generic prescription drugs in the US. The second paper, Variation in Generic Drug Use in Medicare Part D, documents the substantial variation across plans in the use of brand versus generic drugs in Medicare Part D plans, and explores the extent to which patient, plan and area characteristics can explain this variation. Paper three, Associations Between Provider Characteristics and Biosimilar Uptake, examines the uptake history for biosimilar filgrastim among physicians, and what role provider characteristics play in a provider's decision to switch from using the biologic to the biosimilar.
