The first ophthalmologic biosimilar did not launch in the U.S. until July 2022, and some prescribers are still cautious about their uses, according to Cardinal Health's 2023 "Biosimilars Report," which surveyed over 350 providers in four physician specialties.
While 84 percent of ophthalmologists recognize that the role of biosimilars in ophthalmology is to keep drug costs down, only 48 percent would prescribe them themselves.
About 48 percent of ophthalmologists said that they feel uncomfortable prescribing them from a clinical standpoint.
Twenty-five percent of ophthalmologists are either not familiar with the FDA approval process for biologics or they believe it's the same process as other medications, which is not the case.
Two-thirds of ophthalmologists believe that the current FDA biosimilar approval process is enough, and more ophthalmologists feel knowledgeable about biosimilar clinical approval than in 2021.