Dr Robert Rifkin on Lack of Education Surrounding Biosimilars

Despite their growing prevalence, there is still a lack of biosimilar education amongst stakeholders, said Robert Rifkin, MD, FACP, medical director, biosimilars and associate chair, hematology research, McKesson Specialty Health.

TranscriptWhat are the biggest barriers facing biosimilars in oncology?

Biosimilars are interesting because of the multiplicity of stakeholders and the about of education you need to do. We found that even with these being out there for a while, and several being approved, there’s still a dramatic lack of education amongst the stakeholders. There are a number of barriers to adoption, whether it’s educating the providers, educating the patients, educating the payers. And then all of the market dynamics.

I think the barriers are falling as we get more and more molecules out there, but there’s still a huge amount of education that needs to be done for all the stakeholders.