Copy of Biosimilars Awareness and Patient Access Assessment

Patients living with chronic or complex diseases have benefited in recent years from innovative biological medicines, which are manufactured from living cells and highly effective for many patients. Today, there are even more options on the market with so-called Biosimilars, which are biological medicines approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) as “highly similar” to an original biologic therapy.

Like many states, New York enacted a law that permits a pharmacist to substitute an FDA-approved biosimilar for an original biologic therapy, provided there is notice to the prescribing physician within 5 days of the substitution. With that law expiring in 2022, and the State Legislature likely to consider an extension or changes to that law, there is a great need for MSSNY to learn about physicians’ experiences with the application of this law, as well as their experiences regarding health insurers’ similar or disparate coverage of innovator and biosimilar therapies.

To help us better understand this growing area of medicine from your perspective as physicians, we need your help and less than 5 minutes of your time by taking this very brief survey today.

Question Title

* 1. What is your area of medical specialty?

Anesthesiology

Cardiology

Cosmetic Surgery

Dermatology

Emergency Medicine

Endoscopy

Family Practice

General Surgery

Gastroenterology

Internal Medicine

Neurology

Neurosurgery

OB-GYN

Oncology

Ophthalmology

Orthopedic Surgery

Otolaryngology

Pain Management

Pathology

Pediatric Care

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Plastic Surgery

Psychiatry

Radiology

Rheumatology

Thoracic Surgery

Urology

Vascular Surgery

Other (please specify)

Question Title

* 2. How knowledgeable are you about Biosimilar medications? ? [Choose all that apply]

I have patients under my care treated with Biosimilar medications.

I have prescribed Biosimilar treatments for my patients.

I do not have patients treated with the biosimilar medications.

Not sure

Question Title

* 3. Have you wanted to prescribe a Biosimilar but had trouble with the patient accessing that treatment? [multiple choice question]

Yes

Not Applicable

Question Title

* 4. Have you encountered any of the following access barriers when wanting to prescribe a Biosimilar? [Select as many responses as applicable]

Formulary restriction.

Higher out-of-pocket cost to the patient for the Biosimilar versus the original reference biologic.

Step therapy requires patients to first try the reference biologic before gaining access to the Biosimilar.

Other (Open box, required answer)

Question Title

* 5. Does the lower cost of Biosimilars – as compared to their reference biologics – impact your decision to prescribe Biosimilars? [multiple choice question]

Yes

Not Applicable

Question Title

* 6. When prescribing a Biosimilar, are you confident in the efficacy and safety of the treatment? [multiple choice question]

Yes

Uncertain

Not Applicable

Question Title

* 7. Have you had a situation where a patient prescription for an original biologic medication was substituted by a biosimilar?

Yes

Not sure

Question Title

* 8. If you answered yes to #7, did the pharmacist provide you with the state-required notice?

Yes

Not sure