The Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines calls the decision a “retrograde step” amid widespread global opposition to automatic biosimilar substitution by pharmacists.
The Alliance for Safe Biologic Medicines (ASBM) has released a press release, condemning recent announcements by Australian Health Minister Sussan Ley and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) that Australia would “break with widely-held international standards by becoming the first and only nation to allow pharmacy-level substitution of biologic medicines without physician involvement”.
In the press release, patient advocate and ASBM Advisory Board member Stephen Murby, said, “Allowing automatic substitution of biosimilars is an enormously retrograde step for Australia. One which is completely out-of-kilter with world best practice and which has the potential to reduce the standards of safe use of biosimilars for patients.
