Pharmacy Daily | PSA urges biosimilar clarity

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia is offering its expertise to the government to provide education, practice support and communication materials on biosimilars for the pharmacy profession, in “consideration of possible long-term impacts of biological medicines generally, but biosimilar medicines in particular”. In a new position statement on biosimilars issued yesterday, PSA national president Joe Demarte said pharmacists currently follow substitution principles which respect the choice of prescribers and patients, in accordance with PSA’s Professional Practice Standards and Guidelines for Pharmacists on PBS Brand Substitution. PSA believes a holistic, nationally-coordinated and outcomes-focused approach is essential for a strong pharmacovigilance program in relation to biosimilars, with the Society urging that a consensus Australian document on terminology and definitions relating to biologicals be developed as a priority, “to provide accurate and common understanding”. The PSA is suggesting the establishment of a stakeholder group to determine appropriate parameters, which may include an extension of routine pharmacovigilance requirements. “Pharmacists have a fundamental role in pharmacovigilance activities...there is an imperative to capitalise on the pharmacists’ medicines expertise and frontline health professional role,” Demarte said, urging a national awareness campaign on biosimilars “based around clear and consistent communication messages to support prescribers, pharmacists and patients”. View the paper at psa.org.au.

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