Follow-on biologics poised to expand global health care access and lower costs
Ivo Abraham, PhD, highlights follow-on biologics as a pathway to a more equitable global health care system by reducing costs and expanding treatment access.
Follow-on biologics, including biosimilars, biobetters, and bioparallels, hold significant promise for creating a more equitable and accessible global health care landscape by driving down costs and enabling budget-neutral expansion of treatment options, according to Ivo Abraham, PhD, director, center for health outcomes and pharmacoeconomic research at The University of Arizona Cancer Center.
Abraham delivered a keynote session at the 2025 Festival of Biologics USA, held from April 23-24 in San Diego, California, about biosimilars promoting value, access, and equity.1 He introduced the concept of biobetters, defining them as novel molecules designed to improve the properties of existing ones. Additionally, bioparallels are novel follow-on biologics that do not reference another biologic and compete on price through a different regulatory route in the US.
“Whether it's a biosimilar, biobetter, or bioparallel, this yields cost efficiencies. Importantly, this enables budget-neutral expanded access,” Abraham stated.