Accelerating Earlier Access to Anti-TNF-α Agents with Biosimilar Medicines in the Management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Data indicate that earlier initiation of anti-tumor necrosis factor alpha (anti-TNF-α) biologic medicines may prevent progression to irreversible bowel damage and improve outcomes for patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), particularly Crohn’s disease. However, the high cost of such therapies may restrict access and prevent timely treatment of IBD. Biosimilar anti-TNF-α medicines may represent a valuable opportunity for cost savings and optimized patient outcomes by improving access to advanced therapies and allowing earlier anti-TNF-α treatment initiation. Biosimilar anti-TNF-α medicines have been shown to offer consistent therapeutic outcomes to their reference medicines, yet despite entering the IBD treatment armamentarium over 10 years ago, their implementation in clinical practice remains suboptimal. Factors limiting the ‘real’ use of biosimilar anti-TNF-α medicines may include an ongoing lack of understanding and acceptance of biosimilars by both healthcare professionals (HCPs) and patients, as well as systemic factors such as formulary decisions outside of the control of the prescriber. In this review, an expert panel of gastroenterologists discusses HCP-level considerations to improve biosimilar anti-TNF-α utilization in IBD in order to support early anti-TNF-α initiation and maximize patient outcomes.